Splatoon: Squidbeak Style!
by Daniel Terres
Summary: One year has gone by since DJ Octavio's defeat at the hands of Agents 1 and 2, along with their new recruits Orange and Blue. Life is peaceful in Inkopolis, but the Squidbeak Splatoon is never at rest. Join them as they partake in crazy adventures, whether they be serious or just plain comedic.
1. Prologue

Splatoon: Squidbeak Style!

By: Daniel Terres

**Disclaimer: I do not own Splatoon or any characters associated with the franchise. Everyone else is mine though. I will say, Clementine and Whinter are inspired by the characters from Heroes of Inkopolis by TamarinFrog. They are not the same however, and will be side characters. This is to stop any confusion from arising. I hope you all enjoy!**

**Prologue**

Deep underground, the continuous clink of a pickaxe is heard quite clearly. The user, a young inkling, was swinging it hard, trying to break into a new set of ruins.

Behind him was a much older inkling, around his mid 40s. He was looking at the progress the younger inkling was making with rapt attention, and a lot of expectancy. The older inkling shifts on his feet and says "Come on Vince, go faster!"

Vince grunts as he chips at the rock barricade once more. "I'm going as fast as I can Kelorn!" Kelorn grumbles quietly, going back to his shifting.

I can see you are confused. Let me explain. These two are well known archaeologists. They have uncovered many different artifacts, many from the old land dweller race. The humans.

Now, these two have found a lead to a big discovery. An old tablet, hidden within the cavern they were in, that held information of the global flood that happened 12,000 years ago.

Vince grunts as he hits the rock wall again. His eyes widen when he feels a sudden lack of resistance in the swing. He gasps, then grins widely. He begins to hit the wall with a renewed vigor, a sudden burst of adrenaline filling his body.

Kelorn notices the increase in energy and says "What is it boy? Did you find something?!"

Vince nods eagerly as he sees a chip of rock falling away, leaving a hole behind, showing the secret beyond. "I did! Something really is here!"

Kelorn grins widely, then grabs his own pickaxe. "Well then, let's get to it!" Vince nods in excitement, and the two begin hitting the rock wall with well-placed and hard hits.

After a good twenty minutes, the hole was big enough for them both to squeeze. They grunts slightly as they push themselves through the hole, popping out the other side.

Kelorn looks around the dark room with interest. It was a bland cavern, with no manmade structuring of any kind. He sighs in disappointment when he realizes it's just another cavern. He turns to the hole with a depressed motion. "Come on Vince, there's nothing here."

Kelorn begins walking to the hole, when he notices the footsteps behind him receding, not coming closer. He turns around with a raised eyebrow. "Vince?"

His helmet's light hits the younger inkling, and he sees him kneeling on the ground, brushing dust off of something. Kelorn frowns and goes over silently. He didn't see anything there before.

Vince brushes the last bit of dust off of the object he found. He grabs the edges and picks it up, looking at it in disbelief. It was a large, rectangular stone. There were words carved into it, but not in their language.

Kelorn peers over Vince's shoulder in curiosity. When he sees the stone, his eyes widen in disbelief. "The tablet…"

Vince's eyes squint slightly as he begins to read the tablet's message. "When people think of an apocalypse, most think of a nuclear war. Or some might think of global warming or asteroids. The more crazy ones think of aliens and invasions. No one, not a single person of billions of people, would've predicted the real apocalypse.

In the year 3054, people are starting to see the apocalypse. All around the globe the sea levels are rising. The sea has already reached 100 ft above sea level and is rising rapidly. Within the next year or so, the whole world will be completely submerged.

The remaining humans, those not caught off guard by the sea levels and reached higher ground, sought a way to survive this disaster. But the sea wasn't their only problem. No, something far more dangerous was also coming into being.

Something with the rising sea was causing squids and octopi all over the world to begin rapidly evolving. They have begun converting their body mass into ink, allowing themselves to submerge in ink puddles. Along with this strange phenomenon, the squids and octopi are gaining more and more humanoid features. Some of them even look like humans now.

These newly evolved creatures are much more adept then the humans are to the environment, and soon the humans are pushed into secluded areas of the remaining land, far from these new humanoids.

The humanoids, or Inklings and Octolings as they call themselves, have begun developing their own technology, even taking some of the human technology as their own. Combining the human technology and their own, they soon develop devices far above what the humans could do.

Using their new technology, the Inklings and Octolings take refuge in a floating continent, torn from the Earth's crust by violent volcanic explosions under the rising sea. How the continent floats, however, is beyond anyone's guess.

The Inklings and Octolings weren't the only ones to take refuge on the floating island, however. A small group of humans, ones much more in contact with the Inklings and Octolings than their brethren, followed the sea creatures up to the continent. There they hide, all 10 humans, up until this day."

After reading the message, Vince turns to Kelorn with wide eyes. "This tablet… it's really the one!"

Kelorn grins widely, his energy renewed. "Yes it is! We finally found it!"

Vince grins widely as well. He turns back to the tablet and says "What do we do with it?"

Kelorn looks at the tablet as well, frowning in consideration. "With the information it said, I believe the Squid Sisters would like to look at this."

He nods and says "Yes, first we must go to the Squid Sisters."

He pats Vince on the back and says "Come on boy, up, let's go!"

Vince chuckles at the obvious impatience of his leader. Once he gets on his feet, the two archaeologists turn to the hole and run over quickly. They squeeze through, taking extra care of the tablet.

Once they get back in the cave, they run out of it quickly. It was the middle of the day, and now they had to get back to Inkopolis. The two turn into squids, then super jump away.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"All contestants have joined! Prepare for battle!" The voice belonged to Judd, a semi-anthropomorphic cat who judged the turf wars.

Turf wars are an important part of the inkling society. It involved inking as much terrain as you could in three minutes, while also splatting the enemies to keep them from covering your turf. All inklings seemed to love it, and it was the most popular past time. Some even made a living off of it.

On both sides of the map were respawn points. The splatted inklings were connected to these and pulled there so they wouldn't actually die. And on both points, the teams were getting ready to battle.

The first team was a blue team. It consisted of a male inkling with a sombrero, a female inkling with a stocking cap, another female inkling with a set of glasses, and the fourth was a male with a set of pilot goggles resting on his head.

This team held a variety of weapons. The sombrero inkling held a set of dual ink pistols called dualies. They had a high rate of fire and also allowed the inkling to use jets on the back of the pistols for extra mobility. These were the high-speed, quick takedown weapons.

The inkling with the stocking cap held a slosher. It was nothing more than a bucket filled with ink. Despite its simplicity, it was devastating on the battlefield. One well placed toss could splat you in one go.

The inkling with glasses held a charger, a special type of sniper rifle. You charge up the weapon, hence the name, by holding the trigger. Once you let go, a high-powered beam of ink shoots forwards. This beam can splat people in one go and has incredibly long range. The range isn't hundreds of meters long like a normal rifle, but it could certainly go farther than any other weapon.

The final inkling, the one with goggles, held a roller. This weapon was a giant rolling paint brush. It could be put on the ground to cover large amounts of turf quickly, but was also devastating to inklings swimming under it. You could also fling ink by quickly flicking the roller forwards in front of you. This gave the weapon some range to counteract the close-quarters style.

The blue team was all eager to get going, each of them brandishing their weapons in anticipation. They watch as the other team, the orange team, appears in their respawn point on the other side of the map.

This team consisted of a female inkling wearing a set of headphones, a male inkling with an odd pair of metal goggles over his eyes, a female inkling with long hair covering her eyes, and an inkling with black tentacles that faded into orange and golden, cross-shaped pupiled eyes.

The female inkling with headphones held a charger, just like the other team. The difference was that she was a well-known expert of the rifle. She could hit moving targets, something not easily done by most.

The male inkling with metal goggles held a shooter. This was your typical assault rifle weapon. But despite being well-known and unoriginal, it was quite effective. It has a good fire rate and hits at mid range. It was a good all-round weapon.

The female inkling with long hair held a blaster. This was a rocket launcher weapon that shot exploding ink. It had limited range, but was still extremely effective. Even a missed shot could turn into a splat with its blast radius.

The finale inkling with the odd color scheme held an inkbrush. Just like the roller, it was a massive brush. It could cover the ground in a thin line by pushing it on the ground, and it was much faster than the roller. It could be swung at a rapid pace, making it an amazing assassination weapon.

The orange team was all eager to start up the match, although they did keep sending glances back to the black-haired inkling. He was very different, and looked very familiar.

They all instantly have their thoughts broken as the start whistle is blown. The roller and brush user take off first, covering the front line with ink. The chargers stay behind for covering fire, and the others begin covering the turf missed by their melee fighters.

The blue roller gets to the middle, then raises an eyebrow as he sees no competition waiting. He shrugs, then begins covering the middle with ink. It wasn't long though before the enemy shooter and blaster came in and he had to retreat.

As the battle in the middle went on, the orange brush user decided to deviate from his original path. He was now inking the outer layers of Kelp Dome, finding this much easier than fighting in the front lines.

He finishes up the side area and begins moving towards the enemy spawn. The blue charger, already noticing the orange ink appearing on the side area, had her sights set on the corner the inkling would turn at.

The brush user goes to the corner, then stops. He pulls out a triangle shaped bomb, a splat bomb, and throws it forwards. The blue charger is distracted for just a moment and it is enough for the orange brush user to sneak on past. The blue charger notices him moving and quickly snaps her aim back to the orange inkling. She releases the trigger, but the enemy inkling gets behind cover before he could splatted. The charger curses, then prepares another shot.

The black-haired inkling pants slightly at the close call, his heart racing. He peeks his head out, then ducks back instantly. A beam of ink passes right by him, whistling next to his ear.

The inkling looks around for a way out of this predicament. He looks at the uninked turf, then back at his tank. A red light was off, but a meter on it was almost filled. He grins, then covers the ground around him in ink.

A ding goes off, and the inkling smiles in satisfaction. He presses the button on his tank, and he steps out into the open. The blue charger instantly takes aim, then lowers her weapon as she sees the enemy get covered in ink.

She pales rapidly as she sees the ink disappear, and a giant orange squid was in its place. A kraken. The kraken glares at her, then begins moving forwards quickly.

The charger yelps slightly as she sees the kraken climbing up the wall to her sniping post. She turns and fires a trail of ink from her charger, trying to get away. She goes to jump off, but then something snatches her.

She screams as the kraken swings her around, the motion being very terrifying to her. The kraken decides to end it and slams the blue inkling into the post, instantly splatting her. A ghostly squid appears and drifts away to the respawn point.

The kraken gets covered in ink again, and the black-haired inkling is back in its place. He runs away from the post, taking glances back at the machine that the ghostly squid was going to. He turns away from it, then runs off, not wanting to be splatted.

As he runs, he manages to reach the other side area. He finds it coated in orange ink, some splotches of blue here and there, but nothing he needed to worry about. He instead goes over to the middle to try and help out that fight.

He uses the platforms above to sneak up on the battling inklings. Blue and orange ink was everywhere, but no one noticed him. The inkling gets over top of the enemy inklings, then turns into a squid. Due to inkling squid forms being inky, he slips through the railing and falls right behind the enemy inklings.

The enemy dualie, sensing something wrong, begins to turn around. He doesn't get halfway before his body is coated in ink. He is able to emit a yell of surprise, and then he explodes into blue ink. The ghostly squid floats away sadly.

The other enemy, the slosher, instantly tries to throw a bucket of ink on the orange brush user. Her momentary distraction was enough for the blue shooter to take aim and fire. She was splatted before she could react.

The shooter looks around for more enemies, searching. There was still the roller, he knew that much, but he couldn't see him.

"Look out below!" The shooter looks up, and his eyes widen as he sees a wave of ink coming down on him. He puts his hand up as a futile form of defense, and he is splatted instantly.

The blue roller grins in satisfaction, then looks at the other orange inkling. She held a blaster which was trained right on him. The blue roller grins, then falls into his ink. The blaster fires a shot, but the blue roller is able to get out of the blast radius.

The orange blaster steps back, searching the blue ink for the roller. Suddenly, the ink in front of her condenses into an inkling. The blaster takes aim, but the roller was faster. He brings the roller down, instantly splatting the blaster.

The roller turns around and seems to notice the brush user for the first time. He grins and says "One left."

The brush user narrows his eyes and simply prepares to battle. The two stare at each other, measuring each other's abilities. The blue roller grins and brings his roller up. The brush user's eyes widen and he jumps to the side, narrowly avoiding the flicked ink.

The roller swims forwards quickly while the brush user was distracted. He pops out of the ink, right in front of the brush user's face.

The black inkling's eyes widen, and he jumps back. The roller slams down right where he was just a split second ago. The roller huffs and says "Slimy little bastard…"

The roller looks around, and notices that the brush user was gone. He raises an eyebrow in confusion, turning every direction to find him.

"Number one rule of the battlefield. No one ever looks up, so use that to your advantage." The roller's eyes widen and he turns to the tower in the center. The brush user grins at him, somehow on top of the tower, and points at the blue inkling's feet. The blue inkling looks down, then yelps as he sees a splat bomb next to him. He tries to run, but the bomb goes off too quickly. He explodes in blue ink, being pulled back to his respawn point.

"Stop Battling!"

The blue roller emerges from his respawn point, and huffs in frustration. The brush user, seeing this bit of anger, just shrugs and super jumps back to his spawn. He goes into the recall pipe, rocketing back to the turf war room.

He pops out of the ink, his color slowly going back to its normal red color. The inklings all were sending glances at him, eyeing his red colored tentacles. Red was an extremely rare color for inklings, so it was no wonder people were curious.

The black and red inkling turns, and notices the other looking at him. He frowns slightly and points to the screen. They turn away and look back at the screen.

Judd was on the screen, looking over the turf war map. He seemed to be having trouble deciding the victor, but then he nods. He grabs something behind him, and pulls out an orange flag!

The orange team cheers at their victory, while the blue team sighs in defeat. They all congratulate each other, and soon the inklings begin trickling out of the room.

The black haired inkling goes to leave, when he suddenly hears "Hey, wait up!"

He turns around and is surprised to see the orange charger and blue roller running towards him. The blue roller stops running and grins widely at the red inkling. "You did amazing out there! I've never known anyone that good with a brush."

The orange charger nods and says "You certainly were good at sneaking around too."

The black haired inkling just chuckles sheepishly, a little embarrassed at the sudden praise. "Oh, thank you!"

The blue roller nods, then offers a hand. With a grin, he says "Oh, the name's Whinter by the way. The city's best roller!"

The orange charger smiles and shakes her head, punching Whinter in the arm lightly. "City's best, yeah right." She turns to the black haired inkling and says "Name's Clementine. What's your's?"

The red and black haired inkling smiles and says "My name is Ika." Clementine nods and says "Nice name."

Whinter suddenly grins widely and throws an arm over Ika's shoulder. "So Ika, got any other plans for today?"

Ika shrugs and says "Well, not at the moment."

Whinter grins and says "Well, how about hanging around with us? I can be pretty wild, and everyone loves it." He pats his chest in pride, and Ika just looks at him with a very confused expression.

Clementine pulls Whinter away from Ika and smiles nervously. "Sorry about him, he just gets over excited sometimes. You don't have to join us if you don't want too."

Ika shrugs and goes to reply, when a sudden beeping is heard. Ika's eyes suddenly seem to grow worried and he looks at his wrist. He smiles sheepishly and says "O-Oh, that isn't good. Sorry, but I gotta go do something. It's urgent."

Ika then turns and runs away without even a goodbye. Clementine and Whinter watch with confused expressions, wondering why Ika just ran off so suddenly. However, Clementine believed she had an idea why.

She turns to her boyfriend and says "Hey, didn't that beeping sound familiar to you?"

Whinter nods, his face serious. He looks at his own wrist and says "It sounded like the agent communicators."

Clementine nods in agreement, watching Ika run from the Battle Tower. "Should we follow him?" Whinter grins and nods. "Of course we will! He could be another agent!" Clementine nods, and the two begin running to catch up with Ika.

They exit the tower, and watch as Ika disappears around a corner into the alleyways. They run over to the alley, determined to catch up. They turn the corner, and a splash of ink hits them square in the chest.

Ika glares at the two inklings, now sporting large splotches of red ink on their chests. "What are you two doing following me?!"

Whinter gasps slightly in pain, then pushes himself off the ground. He pulls down his sleeve and shows Ika a small device on his wrist. Ika's eyes widen and he says "Is that?" Clementine does the same thing, and Ika instantly grows nervous.

"Oh man, I didn't realize you guys were agents! I'm so sorry about this." He helps the two inklings up, watching as they carefully brushed the ink off.

Whinter gets the last of the ink and says "No worries. Being an agent does make you jumpy after all."

Ika nods, still feeling sorry about attacking them. He turns around and says "Come on. If I got a call from Cap'n, then I am certain you two will get a call soon as well."

They walk with Ika through the alley, looking around in curiosity. The alley eventually ends, and the two are left speechless at what they see.

The area in front of them looked like a massive plaza, and the buildings seemed slightly worn down. Ika turns to a specific building close by and enters it. The two agents quickly follow.

They look around and notice the building's interior looked like an old studio turned into a house. It was tidy and well-kept, but it still had a small run-downed feel to it.

Clementine looks over to Ika and says "So, how did you join the agency, if you don't mind me asking."

Ika looks back at her and says "Well, I am Callie's brother. It did start as a family thing."

Whinter's eyes widen immensely and he gapes at the inkling in front of him. "W-Wait, you are Callie's brother?!"

Ika nods and says "I don't like being in the spotlight, so I asked Callie and Marie to keep my identity a secret. That's how you don't know about me." The two inklings behind Ika look at each other in slight surprise.

Ika presses a few buttons on his communicator, and he looks at the message in surprise. "Huh, seems that the Cap'n says there are humans still on the continent."

Clementine's eyes widen and she says "Wait, humans?! I thought they were extinct!"

Ika just shrugs in reply. "The message says otherwise. I guess we should make our way over."

The orange inkling's eyebrows furrow in worry. "I don't think me and Whinter should go without our own message."

Just as she says that, two sets of beeping is heard in the room. Clementine and Whinter look at their communicators and find the same message Ika had. Ika smiles a little smugly and says "There you go. Now you can come." Clementine blushes and nods.

Ika looks back at his communicator and notices something. "Oh, seems like we're needed in about twenty minutes. Callie and Marie won't be done with news until then."

The black haired inkling goes to his couch and plops himself down on it. He looks at the two inklings still standing by the doorway, and gestures for them to sit. They nod gratefully and sit down.

Clementine shifts slightly, then says "Ika?" Ika looks over with a raised eyebrow.

Taking that as her cue to continue, she says "Well, I was wondering, what is this place? I mean, the area outside."

Whinter nods, continuing the thought. "Yeah. I never knew such a rundown section of Inkopolis existed."

Ika sighs, shaking his head. "Figures you wouldn't. You see, this place was a battleground during the Great Turf War. It was one of the two cities that were included in the battles."

Clementine raises an eyebrow at the last sentence. "Wait, two cities?"

Ika shrugs her off and says "Maybe next time. For now, I'll explain this area."

He shifts in his seat, straightening up. "This place was one of the most devastating battles during the Great Turf war, according to my grandpa. The two sides, the Inklings and Octarians, were fighting fiercely. The inklings because their enemies were in their city, and the Octarians because they were that close to winning the war. This was supposed to be the battle that ended the war. It wasn't."

His face grows more solemn as he thinks about the story the his grandpa told him. "Because of this fierce fighting, mistakes happened. Fatal mistakes. An inkling and an Octo-weapon fired an inkstrike at the same time. The two rockets collided, and the result was a poisonous ink that covered the whole battle ground, splatting everyone present. And as you know, respawns weren't invented yet…"

Clementine's eyes widen and her hands go over her mouth. Whinter's face grows grim and he stares at the ground. Ika nods and continues. "Once news of the battle hit the ears of the armies, both sides took time to mourn, even Octavio. According to grandpa, Octavio lost someone very important to him in that battle. His daughter."

Whinter's eyes widen, and he looks up at the black-haired inkling. "His… daughter? Could that be why he is so bitter?"

Ika shrugs and says "Who knows? It very well could be the reason."

Clementine then gets a thought, something that was bugging her. "Wait, if a battle this big happened, why don't we, or other inklings, know about it?"

Ika nods, expecting the question. "The authorities wanted to keep this city a haven, a place for all to live peacefully and without fear. Because of that, they removed this battle from the history books. Anyone who died here was said to have died elsewhere, or was caught and killed as a prisoner of war."

Clementine gasps and says "That's horrible!"

Ika nods, his thoughts similar. "It is, but there really isn't much we can do about it. The most we can do is honor the memory of those lost in the battle." The two inklings, as much as they hated keeping this a secret, nod. It really was the best they could do.

Another set of beeping goes off, and the inklings look at their communicators. "Looks like it's time to go." Ika looks at the other two agents and says "Come on, we'll go together." The agents nod, and follow Ika out of his house.

They re-enter the plaza area, and the inklings look around with a much more solemn look. After the story, the sight before them seemed much more clearer, yet also darker. Ika sighs, then says "Come on. We can think about it later."

The two inklings nod, and follow the black inkling out of the plaza. The story was a big revelation, that was for sure. But for now, they had work to do.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

-30 minutes earlier-

Callie and Marie were lounging in their studio office, waiting for the next news section. Normally they would rest in the studio itself, but they were contacted by Kelorn today. He said he had something important to show them.

It had been a good hour since they received the message, and Callie was getting bored. She taps her desk rhythmically, humming Bomb Rush Blush to herself. Marie was simply looking out the window to the square below.

Suddenly, the door bursts open and two inkling burst in. Both of them were wearing archaeologist gear, and they both were breathing heavily.

Marie smiles and gestures to the seat opposite of her and Callie. "How nice of you to join us Mr. Kelorn."

Kelorn nods and sits down gratefully, his assistant next to him. The Squid Sisters let him get his breath back, noticing how winded the inkling was.

After a minute, Kelorn finally gets his breathing under control. He pulls something out of his pack and shows it to the pop duo. It looked like some sort of stone tablet.

Marie grabs the tablet and looks over it. The text was in a language she could not read, but one she knew was the language of the ancient land dweller race. She looks up at Kelorn and says "This is in the human language, isn't it?"

Kelorn nods, and points to the text. "Yes, it is, but I am an expert at deciphering the language. It speaks of how the world was flooded long ago, and how our ancestors evolved and became the new dominant species. It even spoke of the continent being sent into the air and avoiding the flood. But the most interesting thing was the part about how a small group of humans, only ten or so, managed to get on the continent as it began floating."

Marie's eyes widen slightly in surprise, while Callie seems to beam suddenly. "Oh, an extinct race isn't really extinct?! That's so exciting!"

Marie nods, a small smile on her face. "It really is quite the revelation. Thank you for showing us this Kelorn, Vince."

The two inkling archaeologists nod in reply. Kelorn then says "There is one bit I would like to point out. It says, and I quote, ones much more in contact with the Inklings and Octolings than their brethren". This seems to imply that the humans know we are here, and maybe have even connected with us."

Marie raises an eyebrow as she hears this. "Then why have we not know about this?" Kelorn shrugs, similarly perplexed.

He then looks at the tablet and says "Do you two wish to keep the tablet for further study?"

Marie shakes her head and hands it back to the inkling. "No, you may keep it. Thank you for coming."

Vince grabs the tablet and puts it back in his bag. The two get up, say their leave to the pop duo, and leave the office.

Marie sighs, a smile on her face. "Feels nice, finally having something to break up the monotone."

Callie snickers and says "With how you act, I thought that would be fine."

Marie levels a lazy glare on her cousin, but she knew that Callie meant nothing by it. Marie looks at the clock, then says "We have twenty minutes until we can leave. I'll send a message to gramps and he can contact the other agents."

Callie suddenly hops in her seat and says "Oh! Do you think Agent 3 and Agent 7 will come?!"

Marie nods. "I am certain they will. The continent is big, and the more agents we have the better."

She smiles at her cousin again says "Let's get the news over with so we can start." Callie nods and the two leave their office, heading down to the studio.

**-Present Time-**

Ika, Clementine, and Whinter all make it back to the Inkopolis square without any issue. They look around and, after deciding it safe, they step over to a grate. They fall in without a single person noticing.

The pipe shoots them through the ground, much faster than any vehicle could travel at. They eventually pop out of the pipe again and into Octo Canyon. The place was a massive canyon just beyond the city limits. It was hidden from view by a large mountain, so no one knew it was there. Except the agents.

Clementine and Whinter shake the ink off of themselves, noticing that their ink color hadn't changed for some odd reason. They did have their hero gear though, so that was nice.

That's also when they notice the three other inklings there. Two of them were female and had hero gear on. The third was a very old inkling wearing a stitched up army uniform and a hat. He had a cane that looked suspiciously like a Bamboozler.

The inkling with the shades grins widely at the two agents. "Agent Orange, Agent Blue, how nice to see you again!"

Clementine nods her head in agreement. "Nice to see you too Agent 1, Agent 2." Callie and Marie nods their heads in greetings.

Whinter smiles as he gets to see his idols again, then blinks when he notices something. "Hey, where is Ika?"

Clementine turns and says "Yeah, where did he go?"

"Hey, don't call me Ika in the field." Whinter suddenly shrieks loudly and jumps in the air. He turns around, his eyes wide, and sees an inkling wearing a half-face mask, hero gear, and a black hoodie. The black tentacles gave him away.

Whinter grits his beak and yells "Ika! What was that for?!"

Ika laughs some more, wiping some tears from his eyes. "I-It was too good an opportunity to pass up. And call me Agent 7, please."

Whinter blinks, then raises an eyebrow. "Agent 7? Where's 4, 5, and 6?"

Marie shrugs and says "He just like the number seven." Ika nods, and Whinter just levels him with a deadpan look. Ika returns it fully.

Whinter sighs in defeat, then turns back to his idols with a slightly angry expression. "What is the mission this time?"

Cap'n steps up then and says "Now now, we still have one more agent, remember?"

Whinter raises an eyebrow, his foot tapping impatiently. Clementine's eyes widen though and she says "Oh, you mean Agent 3!" Cap'n nods.

Just as they say it, the pipe behind them shakes. The agents turn and watch as a mass of yellow ink appears from the pipe. It condenses into a female inkling with the standard hero suit, a beat-up cape with a 3 on it, and a golden bracelet on her wrist. She was also holding a Hero Shot.

The inkling stands up fully and grins widely at the inklings present. "Hello everyone, Agent 3 in the house!"

She hops down from the grate, smiling when she sees Clementine and Whinter. "Oh, my predecessors! How are you guys?"

Clementine smiles and says "We are doing good." Agent 3 grins, then turns to Cap'n.

"Say Cap'n, why are we finding these humans anyways." The other agents look to Cap'n Cuttlefish expectantly, also wondering why.

Cap'n taps his cane on the ground and says "You see, the humans helped develop much of the technology we have today, albeit indirectly. Finding one to help us would be very beneficial. But we also must find them before the Octarians do. If those Octarians find them before us, it could spell disaster for us all!"

The other agents look between each other with worry. The Octarians were a race of humanoid octopi. They were very advanced in technology, much more advanced than the inklings were. They also hated the inklings, so if they got to the humans, they could develop unstoppable machines to destroy the inklings.

Cap'n taps his cane on the ground even harder, a small fire in his eyes. "That is why we must find them as soon as possible! And there is no better starting place than Calamari County!

Cap'n then goes over to a large pipeline off to the side. The pipe goes straight up, then travels against the wall of the canyon until it fades out of sight.

Cap'n slaps his walking stick against the pipeline and the hatch opens up, a creaking sound coming from it.

Each agent flinches involuntarily, each one getting a bad feeling. Cap'n then turns to them and says "Use this pipeline. It is a direct connection from Inkopolis to Calamari Country."

Callie then jumps slightly, making an 'Oh!' sound. "Wait! I remember back when we were little, that there was some rumor of strangely shaped inklings in the Calamari Mountains! Those mystery inklings may be the humans!"

Cap'n nods and says "Any lead is a good start. Now then, hop in all of you."

Each agent shifts in place, not being the first one to enter the old, rusty pipe. Even Callie lost all of her energy. Ika then says "Umm, sorry to say this Cap'n, but… don't you think that pipe might break? It is very old and very long. No one has made repairs."

Cap'n waves off his worries with a swipe of his hand. "Preposterous. This pipe has saved my old behind more times than I can count! I would trust this pipe with my life!"

Ika looks down, rubbing his arm. "I-If you're sure."

Cap'n grins widely at his grandson. "Of course I am sure, Ika boy!"

Ika then mumbles something suspiciously like 'I take what you say with a grain of salt', then

says out loud "Alright, I'll go first."

He walks up to the old pipe and stands over the grate entrance. He gulps to himself and says "Here goes nothing." He turns himself into his squid form and slips through the grate, travelling at high speeds to Calamari Country.

Callie and Marie, not ones to be outdone by their own relative, quickly jump in after him. Agent 3 follows suit, never one to back down from a challenge, even if the challenge is braving an old, rusty pipe.

Clementine gulps at the sight of everyone leaving. Whinter notices this and nudges her side. With a smirk he says "Scared Orange?"

Clementine's fear instantly leaves her and she says "No! I am not scared!" Whinter grins and says "Alright then. Let's go."

Grabbing a hold of her arm, Whinter runs to the pipe. Clementine yelps and begins struggling to get out of his grasp, but she couldn't break his hold. When he then jumps up, hurling them both towards the grate, she knows she has no choice. Turning into her squid form, she and Whinter fall into the pipe, beginning their long journey to Calamari Country.

Cap'n chuckles to himself at Whinter's antics. He turns around and goes over to a Calamarian shack that Marie built. "Kids these days. Full of surprises and energy." He sits down on a seat and takes deep breath of the underground air. It was fresh, the pipe to the surface supplying the air every day. "Good luck agents. Inkopolis is counting on you."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The first warning Ika got that something was wrong was the shaking he felt in the pipe. His squid eyes widen wide as a sudden crash sound is heard far ahead. He looks forwards, but can't see anything but the red ink that surrounded him.

Then, as suddenly as the crash, he begins free falling. His fear causes him to inadvertently switch back to his humanoid form. His hood falls down as he continues his course for the ground below him, screaming the whole while. The fall takes a second, and suddenly the ground is in Ika's face.

**BOOM!** A plume of smoke erupts from where Ika landed. The smoke settles and he is seen shaking his head to rid himself of the dizziness of the landing. Then, two shrieks fill the air. Ika looks up, and instantly screams out.

Callie and Marie fall just as ungracefully as Ika. Marie slams into the ground a few feet away from Ika, but Callie managed to land on something. She flinches at the jarring impact with the ground, but is otherwise ok. She looks around, wondering how a fall from that height didn't hurt.

"MMMPPPHHH!" The sudden loud muffling caused Callie to leap in the air with a yelp. She turns around and sees a pile of red ink, a very dazed red squid in it. Callie instantly makes a cry of worry and picks up the dazed squid. "Oh, Ika! I didn't know you were there." Her only response was some dazed gurgling.

Three more clouds of smoke erupt as the other three agents slam into the ground. Marie is recovered at this point and is walking to Callie, her charger out and ready. She looks around, taking only slight notice in the dazed conditions of the other agents. "Where are we?"

Callie looks around as well. The area they were in was dark, signifying that is was night time now. It was covered in forest, each direction looking the same as the others. "I-I don't know." She clutches Ika a little tighter, causing him to snap out his daze. He tries to struggle out of Callie's grasp, but he didn't have the strength. Resigning to his fate, he lets out an annoyed gurgle at his predicament.

Marie hears the noise and looks over to it. There she sees Ika in his squid form being snuggled by Callie. She smiles under her mask and says "Don't worry 7. I know the feeling." Ika glares at his cousin for not helping him, but her eyes just take on a smug light. He makes a noise similar to a 'humph' and looks away.

By this time the other agents had recovered and had made their way to the family. Whinter looks around and says "Any idea where we are?" Marie and Callie shake their heads, neither of them having a clue.

Agent 3 then says "Wait! I have a map!" She rummages in her pack for a second, then pulls out a rolled up piece of paper. She opens it up and begins scanning it. "Alright… if this is the pipe we took, and this is the forest, then…. Aha!" She puts the map on the ground and points to a seemingly random part of the forest. "This is where we are!"

Everyone sweat drops at the annunciation. Marie closes her eyes and says "3, that just is some random part of the forest." Agent 3 harrumphes and says "Don't question my tracking skills! I am the best in Inkopolis!" Marie's confusion rises in response. "If you say so."

Agent 3 then looks at the map again and says "The area we are in is very close to the Calamari mountains the pipe runs through. If we continue going North-East, we should reach them by foot in a little less then a day." She folds up her maps and looks around. She takes notice of the moon and its position, then points in a random direction. "This way! Follow me!" She then begins marching away briskly, each agent running slightly to catch up.

**-1 hour later-**

"How much faaarrrtherrrrrrr?" Callie whines for the tenth time. Marie had developed a twitch in her eye at this point, and each agent had begun to get driven crazy by Callie's whining. Ika had it the worst, him still stuck in Callie's arms.

Then, he suddenly turns humanoid. His head locked in Callie's arms, it was a very awkward walk. He shoves on Callie's arms, each shove enunciated by a word. "I. Have. Had. Enough!" He finally frees his head, his hoodie flying back in the process. He pulls it back up and says "I need some stress relief! I can't handle Callie's whines!" Callie shouts in protest, but otherwise agrees. They all had been walking through the night and needed some rest.

Marie looks around, then spots a clearing a way away. "Let's go over there." The group begins walking over to the clearing, each one ready for some rest.

They enter the clearing and instantly get to work on setting up camp. Callie and Marie had expected some in the woods exploration and had prepared accordingly. Besides, an agent should always be prepared for any situation.

Luckily, this lesson seemed to be ingrained into the others. Each agent looks into their special packs and pull out the necessary equipment for a camp. They each begin pitching up tents, Agent 3 volunteering to get a fire started and cook some food.

After a few minutes, each inkling is sitting around the campfire. They were each very dazed and tired, but the smell of roasted fish in the are made them all stay awake a little longer. Agent 3 sat on the ground near the fire, her focus entirely on the spinning spit that cooked the fish.

Soon, the fish was finished. Each agent ate contentedly at their food, each one loving the salty taste of the roasted salmon. Callie looks at Agent 3 and says "This is really good 3! How did you learn to cook like this?"

Agent 3 flushes in embarrassment, chuckling sheepishly. "W-Well, I um... cooked a lot when I was younger. Before I came to Inkopolis, I did it all the time. Turns out I was really good at it. I just wish my parents could see me now." A look feel over Agent 3's eyes, filled with a deep longing.

Marie nods in agreement at the statement. "I can agree with you there. I too wish that my aunt and uncle could see me, Callie, and Ika now. We've come so far." The two black-haired inklings nod as well.

Clementine then decides to bring up a topic that she wanted to bring up for a while. "Hey Callie, Marie. Why do you two stay in Inkopolis anyways? Aren't you two old enough to leave?" Marie sighs, and looks at the sky.

"Maybe I could, but Callie and Ika can't, as they are both only 17, while I myself am 20. I wouldn't ever leave them alone. Besides, me and Callie have a career there now." Callie nods, and Ika simply stares at the ground.

Whinter's eyebrows furrow and he says "Do you guys ever regret becoming famous?" Marie sighs, and she pulls down her face mask. She knew that she needed to be fully exposed for this. No hiding behind a mask.

"Yes, I do. I often wish me, Callie, and Ika could just go back to Calamari Country and be young squids again, singing being nothing more than a hobby. But, I also feel an obligation to the young inklings of Inkopolis. They look up to us, and I feel that I need to uphold that responsibility."

Callie looks over at Whinter and says "It is a lot to shoulder, but we enjoy it. Every time we sing, we can feel the excitement and happiness of Inkopolis. I wouldn't trade it for the world. We even asked Ika to join, but he didn't want to."

Agent 3 looks at Ika in shock. "What?! Why not?" Ika sighs and says "It's a long story. I hate being in the spotlight, and I just didn't want to be famous. People may say I am a good singer, but I much rather prefer the secluded life I have now."

Ika then claps his hands suddenly and says "Alright! Enough of that mushy stuff. Let's all get some shuteye." Each inkling mumbles their agreement, and they all go to their respective tents. Shortly after, the soft sound of the forest fills the night and puts each agent to sleep.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**-Bold text means English-**

The morning sun shines brightly into the inkling encampment. The light causes each of the inklings to wake up, all of them drowsy from the short rest they had. But they are still able to function right.

Agent 3 once again begins cooking breakfast. This time, it was some simple fried seanwichs she got from Sean. Each Inkling eats their seanwich, and then they pack up their gear.

As they pack up, their friendly chattering could begin to be heard. Each one of them had woken up enough to begin having conversation. Soon, they were back on their course.

**-3 hours later-**

Each inkling had their weapons out and ready. Clementine and Whinter were in the back talking with each other, while Callie and Marie stood up front speaking. Agent 3 and Ika were in the middle, and they weren't talking.

Tired of the silence, Ika turns to Agent 3 and says "Hey. I haven't actually heard your name yet. What is it?" Agent 3 looks over to Ika, then looks forwards. She says "It's Amber." Ika raises an eyebrow at that. "Amber huh? Nice name." Amber blushes and mutters a thanks.

The two fall back into silence, looking around for any signs of danger. Suddenly, Whinter cries out "My feet can't take this anymore!" Everyone turns and looks at Whinter, who was sitting on the ground rubbing his feet.

Everyone sighs at his behavior, but they all agree that the walk is starting to take its toll. They all sit down, eager for a break. Ika looks up at the horizon, the Calamari Mountains barely visible in the distance. "It'll take till tomorrow to get there at this rate."

He looks around and sees that no one else had made that observation. Even Marie, the one usually most fit for this, was focused on resting her abused feet. Ika sighs and says "If only we could go faster."

Suddenly, he gets an idea. He puts down his pack and begins rummaging around in it. Callie notices this and says in curiosity "What ya doing 7?" Ika doesn't look up as he says "Finding something that may get us there faster."

A few seconds later, Ika finds what he was looking for. "Aha!" He then pulls a beacon out of his pack, causing Clementine tilts her head in confusion. "A beacon? How will that get us their faster?"

Ika looks around and says "Well, I have an inkbrush. It is the fastest weapon that you can use." Everyone nods. That was basic knowledge. Ika then says "Well, what if I go ahead of us and put down this beacon so you all can super jump to it?" Everyone begins mumbling at the idea. It seemed good on paper, but…

"We aren't all the same colored ink. How will we super jump to it?" Amber was the one who brought out the question. Ika smiles at them and says "This is a special beacon. It allows anyone who is in the Squidbeak Splatoon to super jump to it. I got it from Sheldon."

Everyone is impressed at that fact. A special beacon like that could be very useful in future missions. Marie looks at everyone and says "I think we are all in favor of 7 doing this, right?"

There was a unanimous agreement.

Ika smiles and says "Alright, I'll go up ahead. Be safe guys." And with that, Ika puts down his inkbrush and continues ahead at much faster speeds. Callie whistles out loud and says "I forgot he could go that fast." Marie simply shrugs and says "7 always did go for speed more than anything else. Certainly helped him though." The agents them all get up, hoping to cover some more ground as Ika went along.

**-2 hours later w/ Ika-**

Ika pants as he once again dips into his ink trail for ink. He fills up his tank and then continues running, his ink brush still on the ground. He looks up and is happy to see that he is now very close to the Calamari mountains. He judged he could get there in a few more minutes at this pace.

Ika continues this pace for a few more minutes, and as he predicted, arrives at the base of the mountains. He looks around, finds a clear spot for the beacon, and sets it down.

The beacon instantly activates and begins sending out an electronic pulse. A few seconds later, 5 differently colored recticales appear on the ground. With multiple cries of "WOOMY!" and "WOOYAH!", each of the other agents land on the ground around the beacon.

Each of them look around and notice the upwards sloping terrain. They all look up and see the massive mountains looming over them. Callie then says with a big grin on her face "They are as big as ever!" Marie chuckles and says "Yes they are."

Clementine on the other hand is less happy. "How are we supposed to find the humans in all of that! The mountains are huge, and it could take forever!" Ika says in response "The stories said that the strange inklings were always seen in a grove of cherry blossom trees. The thing is, they always ran away at the sound of inklings speaking."

Amber looks at Ika and says "Wait, what is a cherry blossom tree?" Ika looks at her and says "Well, a cherry blossom tree is a tree covered in pink flowers called Sakura flowers, or cherry blossoms. They are easy to distinguish as they are covered in pink instead of green."

Whinter then points up and says "So, like that tree right there?"

Every agent looks up and can see a single pink tree sticking out from a wall in the mountains. Ika nods and says "Yes, like that tree right there." Marie looks at the tree and says "Well, it is only one, but it is something. Let's take a look at it."

Callie didn't sound as determined as her cousin did though. "How will we get up there?" Marie looks at her and says "You brought the green ink I asked for, right?" Callie blinks a couple times at Marie, then says "Yeah, I did. Why?" Marie does a 'give me' gesture and says "You'll find out. Just give it here." Callie shrugs, then takes out a tank of lime green ink.

Marie puts the tank down and says "Alright, everyone line up." Each agent looks at each other, but they do as requested. Marie then unscrews the top of the tank and watches the ink slosh around inside. She then looks at the agents and says "Heads up!" She throws out the ink, and the ink falls on the agents.

Each of them shut their eyes tight, and shiver at the sticky feeling of the ink. Then, the ink becomes soothing. They open their eyes and look at Marie. She smiles at them and says "Now we can all travel in each other's ink." Each agent looks at their ink tanks and each other and find that their ink turned the same lime green as the ink Marie used.

Marie then pours the rest of the ink on herself. The ink dries rapidly, but it did cause some effects. The ink in her tank rapidly changed to lime green, and her visible tentacles also changed to the same color.

Whinter looks at his roller, covered in green ink now, and says "Wow, I didn't think of that." Marie smiles and says "Well, lucky I did then. Now, let's get going." Each agent nods and makes their way to the wall.

They all look up as Marie steps back. She brings the scope of her charger to her eye, then fires. A long beam of green ink shoots out and hits the top of the wall, beginning the path to the top. After some more shots, she eventually manages to get the path down half way. She goes to fire again, when a _click_ is heard instead. She frowns and says "Must be out of ink."

Marie looks at Amber and says "Think you can ink the rest of the path, 3?" Amber nods and turns to the wall. She raises her hero shot, and begins shooting rapid bullet of ink. The ink manages to hit the bottom of the path Marie made, and soon the path reached the ground. She grins at the agents and says "There we go! One path to the Samura tree finished." Ika looks at her, unimpressed, and says "It's pronounced Sakura." Amber just shrugs.

Each agent then steps into the ink trail up the wall of the mountain, and begin swimming up. After a minute or so, they manage to reach the top. The look around, and all of them are in awe. The place was filled with the Sakura trees Ika mentioned. It was beautiful.

Then, a sudden noise fills the air. It sounded like splashing. Each inkling instantly readies their weapons, and they begin sneaking to the sound.

Soon, they come across a waterfall in the valley. But that wasn't the main detail. No, that was the strange, inkling-looking creatures in the water. They were splashing it at each other, all of them laughing as they did. All the creatures seemed to be the same size as the agents.

"**Hey. Who are you guys.**" Each inkling jumps at the sudden voice. It was even more disturbing when they couldn't understand the language. They each turn around, and instantly find a spear in their face.

The one holding the spear wore a simple white t-shirt with black shorts. He had on blue and black shoes, but then things got weird. The creature had rounded ears that stuck outwards, and was a good five inches taller than all of them. He also had these… fibers on his head that seemed to act as hair. The hair was a brown color. He also had a pair of piercing brown eyes, his gaze burning into the inklings. He also had a similar black pattern around his eyes, like most inklings, but it wasn't as prominent.

The creature growls, showing of a pair of sharp canines. "**I'll say it only one more time. Who are you?!" **The creature pushes his spear a little closer. Each inklings back off a little, not understanding a word the creature said.

"Daniel**! That's enough!"** The inklings look over to the new voice, and instantly shrink back some more. There was another creature walking towards them, this one presumably female. She looked similar to the other creature, but she was a good foot taller than him. She towered over all the agents. She also had much longer hair then the one with the spear. They could also make out the name Daniel. The creature with the spear reacted to it, so that must be his name.

The taller creature looks at the inklings with a critical eye. Ika and Whinter step forwards defensively, glaring at the creature. Then, the creature smiles at them. Taken back at the sudden lack of hostility, none of them were prepared for what was next.

The taller creature opens her mouth and says "Greetings, Inklings. We don't mean any harm. My son is just a little hasty." All the inklings' eyes widen, and Callie says "You speak Calamarese?!" The taller creature nods her head. "Yes, I do. It is a practice all of my people learn, so we can speak with any inklings that come here."

She looks at Daniel angrily and says in her language "**Daniel! You should know better than to threaten any inkling that comes here! Now apologize." **Daniel mumbles to himself, then says "I'm sorry for the danger. I didn't think." He then bows low, a standard sign of apology. Marie bows back and says "It is fine. We should've realized that if someone was here, they would've reacted defensively."

The taller creature then says "Now then, we can finally get started. My name is Maria, and I am the leader of this village. What brings you to our home, Inklings?" Marie looks at Maria and says "We have travelled from Inkopolis to bring you to there. We heard rumors of a surviving colony of humans, and went to investigate."

Marie's face then grows serious as she says "You see, there is a race similar to our own called the Octarians. They have incredible technological skills, and we couldn't have them find you all. If they found you and turned you to their side, you could make their inventions almost unstoppable. If that happened, then Inkopolis would surely fall."

Maria had her arms crossed as she listens. She closes her eyes and says "Well, you are in luck. Our knowledge of the advances of our ancestors were lost in the sea that took them. We had to start over, powerless. We are lucky that some of the Calamarian inklings help us."

Marie blinks at her, then looks down. "That is a relief. We do not need your help, but it would've been nice. At least we know the Octarians can't use you all." Marie then looks at Maria again and says "We could bring you to Inkopolis though. You could live a much better life there than here."

Maria shakes her head in response. "Sorry, but no can do. We enjoy our life here, and we wouldn't trade it for anything. I am certain you would feel the same." Marie falters slightly, not ready for that response, then nods. "Yes, I would feel the same."

Daniel, however, was looking extremely hopeful. Going back to his own language of English, he says "**Hey mom. Can't I go with them? I could fit in there much better than here." **Maria looks at her son in consideration, then nods. "**Yes, I believe it would be beneficial. Your father would've wanted that anyways."**

Maria looks back at Marie and says "Me and my people might not go, but Daniel can go." Marie's eyes widen, once again not expecting that response. "Oh! T-That is fine. But is there any reason why he is going and not you?"

Maria chuckles and says "Well, this'll surprise you all. You see, Daniel isn't all human." Callie tilts her head and says "What's that supposed to mean." Maria smiles and says "He is half inkling."

All the inklings then scream out "WHAT!?" A sudden murmur of voices come a distance away, then die out. Maria looks back and sighs in relief. She turns an angry eye on the inklings and say "Please don't yell like that again. Now, yes. Daniel is half-human, half-inkling. His father was a Calamarian inkling, who sadly disappeared one day." Maria's eyes glaze over as she seems to look somewhere other than the valley.

She then shakes her head, and says "Due to him being half inkling, he isn't able to fit in here well. Humans always did have trouble accepting those different to themselves. But I've seen inklings, and I know that you are much more accepting. I am certain he'd be happier in Inkopolis than here in the valley."

Marie nods and says "Yes, I could see the resemblance between him and us. How old is he?" Maria responds with "He is 16." Marie smiles and says "Yes, he'd fit right in."

Daniel grins in response and jumps in the air, yelling "NGYES!" Whinter chuckles and says "If anything proves he is an inkling, it would be that." Daniel blushes in embarrassment and says "Sorry, it just came out." Whinter waves it off, saying "No big deal. All inklings have a little phrase like that."

Maria chuckles at her son's quick bonding with the inklings. She says "Well, I bid you all a good journey." She then turns around, walking back into the valley. Daniel looks at his new companions, grinning ear to ear. "Let's go!"

He then begins walking forwards, and suddenly turns into a blue squid. He compresses himself, then flies into the air with a loud cry of "WOOHOO!" Each agent stares at the hybrid in shock, then shrug. They all turn into a squid and super jump as well, each of them emitting their own cry.

Maria turns around as she hears the inklings depart. She folds her hands in front of her and says "I bid you all safe travels, inklings. Please keep my son safe." She then turns around and walks into her village.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The inklings are all very curious of their new companion. An inkling-human hybrid was unheard of, and even a little strange. Despite that, the inklings welcomed newcomers with open arms. Even their hated enemies, the Octolings, were able to join the inklings when they turned over a new leaf.

Marie's heavy lidded eyes look over at Daniel and she says "So Daniel. What do you know of Inkling society?" Daniel looks at the popstar and says "Well, I do know you guys have some sort of technology to keep yourselves alive when splatted. And I know you use this technology to play a game called a 'Turf War'. But other than that, I have no clue."

Marie nods and says "That is some of the basics. I can explain the rest. You see, in Inkopolis we use a system of 'freshness' to determine what you can get in the gear stores. These gears are the clothing stores and the weapons stores. The more required places, like restaurants and grocery stores, don't require any freshness. There are also many apartments in the residential areas of Inkopolis, so we can get you living in one of those."

Callie then grins widely and says "Oh oh! 2, tell him about the Splatfests!" Marie smiles and says "Oh, alright."

Turning back to Daniel, Marie says "Splatfests are a big festival Marie and Callie help put on in the Inkopolis plaza once a month. Along with tons of food and drinks and all sorts of activities, Marie and Callie perform in the plaza on stage, live. It is a huge event, and all the inklings there love it." She then chuckles and says "But it can also be quite competitive. Before the Splatfest, the Inkopolis news announces the theme. For example, one theme was _Pirates vs Ninjas_."

Whinter grins widely and says "I loved that one."

Marie shakes her head, but then continues. "Anyways, the inklings in Inkopolis then choose a side. Then, once the Splatfest starts, each team competes in special turf wars to determine the winner. At the end, the results are tallied and the winners get a big prize. All in all, it is a big deal."

Daniel nods and says "I can see that. So, when is the next one?" Marie blinks, then says "I actually don't know. Do you, 1?" Callie shakes her head and says "No clue. The news hasn't announced the final date. But I think the theme this time is…." Ika glances over and says "_Sci-fi vs Fantasy." _Callie snaps her fingers and says "Right! It was _Sci-fi vs Fantasy!"_

Whinter smiles dumbly and says "Oh, I love this theme! I personally think Sci-fi is better. I mean, look at all the amazing technological stuff and cool machines they make! Teleporters, jetpacks, laser cannons, SPACESHIPS?! It is amazing!"

Amber shakes her head and chuckles. "Oh, you and your little gadgets. Nothing can beat Fantasy. Magic and dragons and knights beat your technology any day."

Whinter growls at Amber and says "Hey! I didn't make fun of your choice!" Amber growls back and says "I didn't make fun of your choice! I just think Fantasy is better!" Whinter gets closer to her face and says "Yeah?! Sounded like you were dissing the lasers and spaceships!" The two get closer and closer until they are literally in each other's face, shooting each other glares more deadly than Octarian ink.

Marie chuckles and says "Like I said, very competitive." Daniel blinks a few times, his face showing visible confusion. "I-I…I see." Callie giggles as Clementine pulls the bickering duo apart.

Daniel then looks at Marie again and says "Ok, a couple questions. First off, who are Marie and Callie?" Marie smiles and says "Oh, they are probably the most famous inklings in Inkopolis. Other than being in the S+ ranks in turf wars, they also run the news and host multiple concerts. They are really known as pop icons." Daniel nods in understanding.

Daniel then says "Alright, now why do you guys call each other by numbers?" Marie blinks, not expecting the question. "_Although in hindsight, I probably should've." _She shakes her head, then says "Well, we are all secret agents. We need to go incognito so that we can't get attacked in Inkopolis by the Octarians." Daniel just replies with "Ah."

After that, Daniel's questions got expended. But a certain couple wanted questions from Ika. Clementine walks up to Ika's right, while Whinter goes to his left. Ika makes an exaggerated motion of looking at the two wide eyed, rapidly going back and forth. "H-Hey! I didn't know I was gonna get surrounded for being on lookout!"

Clementine has to force down the laughter in her. Ika was such a funny person. Despite that, her and Whinter still had some questions to ask him. She narrows her eyes and says "We have a question for you." Ika sighs, knowing he was no way out of this. "Alright, go ahead."

Whinter asks the question. "You said that 'not all of the Great Turf War took place outside the two cities'. Inkopolis was one, so what was the other?"

Ika nods and says "Reasonable question. Alright, the first city was Inkopolis like you said. The second was essentially a hub of all the creatures here on the continent. The name isn't listed in history books, and Cap'n can't remember, but it was located in what is now known as Octo Valley."

Clementine and Whinter blink, wide eyed, then scream "**WHAT!?**" Ika vibrates at the sound that is made, then says "Y-Yes, it was Octo Valley. The Octolings didn't always live there, you know.

Ika looks at the duo again and says "Anything else, oh humble interrogators?" Clementine and Whinter shake their heads and fall back. Ika sighs and says to himself "Geez, those to are nosy."

The rest of the trip is pleasant. The inklings all talked with each other, all of them speaking with Daniel. Despite his strange appearances, he acted exactly like any other inkling. In fact, he seemed even more enthusiastic than most other inklings are.

Soon, night falls again. The inklings are only a couple hours away from Inkopolis now, but they all needed to rest their feet. Each of them begin setting up their camp. There was a pond nearby, and Daniel volunteered to fetch some water. All the inklings let him go, eager to get something to drink.

Daniel runs over to the pond, but finds that the water is extremely dirty. Frowning in disappointment, he goes to turn back. But then, a shine off the lake catches his eye. "_It is almost night. Nothing should be shining."_ He looks back at the lake, and sees a blurry object under the water. It was roughly orb shaped, and seemed to be a golden color. Curious as to what it was, Daniel goes to step in the water.

At that moment, Amber happened to be looking over at the lake. She watched Daniel with uninterested eyes, when he suddenly goes to step in the water. Her eyes widen rapidly, and she gets up and starts running to him. "NO! Don't go in there!"

Daniel hears and turns back, baffled as to what made Amber scream. Amber, however, is even more confused. Daniel was standing at least up to his knees in water, and yet he wasn't dissolving. How could that be possible?

The other agents look over, wondering what the commotion is, and soon have similar expressions of awe and wonder. Callie puts a hand on her forehead and says "How is he doing that?! Doesn't he use ink too?" Marie shakes her head. This hybrid was chalk full of surprises. "I have no idea 1."

Daniel tilts his head at the gawking agents. Why was him being in water such a big deal? He shrugs, not really finding a point in it. Then, a loud splash is heard behind him. Daniel jumps and turns back, and then screams in horror.

Out of the pond came a giant fish, one much larger than any other creature they've ever seen. It looked like a Salmon, but it was a sickly gray color. Its eyes were beady and wild, but it was focusing on the inklings. It also wore green suspenders, and seemed to have an orange mohawk on its head. It also wielded a giant frying pan.

With an animalistic roar, the giant salmon brings its frying pan down towards Daniel. Screaming in fear, Daniel quickly jumps out of the water and runs back. The frying pan misses Daniel by a long shot, and it causes an eruption of water. Luckily all the inklings aren't hit. They are still in awe at the brute strength the salmon has. Callie then mumbles out "If we get hit, we'll be splatted for sure."

Marie then looks at each agent and says "Alright agents, you know what to do!" Each agent nods and begins circling the giant salmon. Marie readies her charger and looks back at Daniel. "Stay there and don't get close! Keep a safe distance." Daniel doesn't need to get told twice, and quickly runs back to the camp.

The salmon looks around in a fury at the predators around it. It roars again, then goes after the closest inkling. Ika widens his eyes as the giant charges him down. His eyes then narrow, and he takes action.

Jumping around the salmon's first swing, Ika starts splashing his ink all over the salmon. The giant fish roars in pain as the ink covers its body. Suddenly, the fish drags its frying pan across the ground. Ika stops attacking, curious as to what the salmon had planned.

The fish roars in anger and swings its pan at Ika from above. Ika dodges the attack, but then his eyes widen. The pan had been covered in some sort of slime, and the slime splattered everywhere when the pan hit the ground. A stray bit of slime hit Ika's leg, and he gasps in pain.

Callie gasps in distress as her brother falls to the ground. She runs over and says "7! Are you alright?!" Ika breathes in heavily, the slime not drying fast enough for him to get up. "I-I'm fine. But I don't think I can move well enough to fight. Take over please?" Callie nods, then looks at the salmon.

With a growl, Callie charges down the giant fish. She leaps high in the air, roller over head, then brings it down onto the fish. "WOOMAH!" The roller hits the salmon's head with a sickening crunch. The salmon wavers a little bit, then falls to the ground with a loud _THUD_. Callie _humphs_ and says "No one hurts my little bro and gets away with it."

Whinter and Clementine were staring at Callie in awe and fear. Amber then leans over and says "Remind me to never get her angry." The other two shake their heads numbly.

Marie goes over to Callie and pats her shoulder, eye smiling the whole time. "As fierce as every I see." Callie blushes in embarrassment, grinning at the underlining praise.

Daniel walks over, deeming it safe, his eyes wide in awe. He then grins widely, his fang like canines showing clearly, and says "That was awesome! You have to teach me that." Marie glances over and says "Maybe when we get back." Daniel's grin grows even wider at the prospect of being able to fight like that. And with Callie supporting Ika, they all head back to camp.

Soon after the battle, night falls completely. With their stomachs satisfied with more sandwiches (_Amber decided to avoid the salmon)_, each inkling was ready for bed. They all gather into their tents and drift off to sleep. All but two.

Whinter looks over at Clementine and says "This is one adventure, huh?" Clementine smiles and says "Yeah. Not nearly as cool as the zapfish retrival mission, but it still is fun." Whinter chuckles, then looks up.

He then gains a longing look and says "I missed these missions. Nothing seems to happen now that Octavio is imprisoned." Clementine nods. "You said it. But the turf wars are still fun."

Whinter shrugs and says no more.

The two lay in a comforting silence, each of them listening to the sounds of the night. Soon, the sounds begin to take their toll. Rolling on his side for comfort, Whinter says "Good night, Orange." Clementine responds with "Night, Blue." Soon, the two are in a comforting deep sleep.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Dawn seemed to come faster than the inklings wanted. All too soon they were all packing up their gear after another satisfying breakfast. Shortly after they finished, they were all on the road again.

They began speaking, all of them in a good mood from the rest. They spoke enthusiastically, each of them holding a big grin. Even Marie was smiling at her cousins jokes.

Ika looks back at his cousin and sister, then grins. He loved pranks, and this one would be perfect. Splatting a little red ink on the side as he went, he made sure to make it as unnoticeable as possible.

Once the Squid Sisters passed by where the ink trail was, Ika turns into a squid and falls into his ink trail, moving silently to where Callie and Marie are. The two cousins, blissfully unaware of what was happening, took no notice of the red ink. Or, so Ika thought.

Ika, now in position behind Callie, suddenly jumps out of his ink trail. Squid arms wide, he was hoping to land on Callie and revert back, making her fall. Instead, Callie suddenly turns around with her arms wide, a big grin on her face. Ika's eyes widen and tries flapping backwards, hoping to stop his jump.

It couldn't happen though, and Ika slams into Callie's outstretched arms. Callie closes her arms around the little red squid, grinning like an idiot. Ika tries to struggle his way out of Callie's grip, but he just wasn't strong enough as a squid. Resigning to his fate once more, he stops struggling.

Callie giggles and holds her little brother up to her face. She smiles and says "Iky, wanna ride in my hood?" Ika closes his eyes and nods. He loved riding in Callie's hood. It saved him having to walk.

Callie giggles again and lowers the red squidling into her hood. She looks back and sees Ika lay back, a content look on his face. She squeals a little at the cute sight. No matter if it was her 17 year old brother or not, he looked adorable as a squid. And Callie loved cute things.

Marie glances over and says "You sure let him get away with a lot. I can't ever get you to let me ride in your hood." Callie sticks her tongue out at Marie in a friendly fashion. "He's my little bro. He gets a couple extra privileges." Marie shrugs and says "Whatever."

Soon, they could clearly see the looming walls of Octo Canyon ahead of them. Along with that, they could see the waterfall of ink caused by the pipe breaking. Marie looks points at the pipe and says "We can swim up that and travel along the inside. It'll be easier than scaling the walls." Every agent nods, then pulls out a little device. It was a small box with a button. It was a simple device that reversed the flow of ink in a pipe. This would help them not fall back down.

The splatoon walks over to the pipe, ready to get back home. But as Marie uses her box to reverse the flow, Callie sees something shine in the bushes. Curious as to what it was, Callie goes over to investigate.

She pushes into the bush, her head popping out the other side. She looks around, then catches a flash again. She looks down and gasps in awe. Laying down in front of her was a set of shades. It had a cool design and had a bunch of lights flashing across the front. Callie picks them up, then steps out the bush.

Callie looks at the shades in curiosity. They looked good, and she bet they'd look good on her. She goes to put them on, when a voice calls out "Callie! Come on, let's go!" Callie looks back and sees Ika waving at her. He must of changed back at some point. She nods and calls back "Coming!" She puts the shades in her pack and runs to the pipe. Turning into a squid, she slips into the ink stream and begins making her way home.

Behind her, unnoticed by the inklings, the bush Callie was in began rustling. Behind the bush, an Octoling was on a communicator. She smiles and says "Package delivered." A voice replies from the device. "Good. Step 1 complete. Time to initiate step 2." The Octoling grins evilly, then turns into an octopus, swimming back to the underground.

**-Octo Canyon-**

The agents all pop out of the pipe, each of them grateful for the shortcut. Soon, Cap'n Cuttlefish runs up to greet them. "Ahoy there, squiddos! I hope you all enjoyed your little adventure." Marie nods and says "It certainly was eventful."

Cap'n smiles and says "Alright then. Now, was it a success?" Marie nods again and says "Yes it was. We located the humans and found out they lost the knowledge of their race. They would be useless to the Octarians." Cap'n nods his head as Marie speaks, then says "Good, good. Don't want those nasty Octarians to get any more power."

Ika then steps up and says "We did find something, or someone, very interesting." Cap'n raises a curious eyebrow, and everyone steps aside. Daniel walks forwards, nervous as to what is happening. Cap'n Cuttlefish investigates him closely, taking in the differences and similarities between him and the inklings.

After one last go-over, Cap'n finishes his examination. "He certainly is a strange one. He seems to be a mix of inkling and human. What can he do?" Marie replies with "Well, he can do basically anything an inkling can. He can even turn into a squid and super jump. But one thing he can do that we can't is go in water."

Cap'n's eyes widen immensely at this and says "Can he now?!" Cap'n then looks at Daniel and says "Is this true?" Daniel nods and says 'Yeah, it is. Why is me being able to go in water such a big deal?"

Clementine leans forwards and says "We inklings dissolve in water. The closest we can go into that is like water is watered-down ink." All the inklings make sounds of agreement. Daniel's eyebrows raise and he says "Ok, now I know why this is a big deal."

Cap'n puts a critical eye on Daniel and says "And you may have many other abilities that have yet to be harnessed. But I do have one announcement." Each agent puts their attention on Cap'n once he says this.

Clearing his throat, Cap'n then says "Due to Daniel's knowledge of our activities, I have no choice but to do this." Holding his cane out over Daniel's shoulder, Cap'n then says "I hereby announce thee as Agent 4 of the Squidbeak Splatoon."

The agents go silent at this proclamation. Even Daniel is speechless, not expecting something so sudden. But then, a deep laughter cuts through the silence. Everyone looks over to the origin and find a large, magenta colored octopus. He had red eyes with green scleras. In his tentacles were two wasabi plants.

DJ Octavio sneers at the agents from within his snowglobe. "Another little ink twerp who thinks he can best me. How funny, Craig." Cap'n Cuttlefish glares at Octavio and says "I thought turned on the soundproofing." Octavio laughs and says "Well, you didn't! Your old age is catching up on you Craig!"

Cuttlefish sighs and goes over to the snowglobe. He flips open a panel and presses a few buttons. Right before he presses the last one, he looks up at Octavio. The giant octopus glares at the Captain. Sneering, Octavio angrily says "You can't keep me cooped up in here forever. I will find a way out." Leaning closer to the glass in a form of intimidation, Octavio then says "And it may happen sooner than you think." Cuttlefish glares back at the DJ and presses the last button. A thin layer of light blue ink spreads over the snowglobe, making it soundproof. DJ Octavio leans back once more, and resides to glaring at the agents.

Daniel shivers at the glare sent by the Octopus. He was terrifying with those eyes. He leans over to Ika and says "W-Who is that?" Without a seeming reaction, Ika says "That is DJ Octavio, leader of the Octarians. Roughly a year ago, Agents 1, 2, Orange, and Blue all defeated him. They brought him to Octo Valley and imprisoned him in that snowglobe."

Amber chuckles and says "Then he escaped while Cap'n went to the bathroom. At the time, all the agents were busy. Having no one to take Octavio back, Cap'n went and found another inkling. That's how I came to be an agent."

Daniel shivers at the prospect of the evil king being able to escape so easily. Seemingly reading his mind, Ika says "Don't worry. The snowglobe is much more secure than the first. Octavio won't be getting out any time soon." Daniel nods, trying to make himself believe that. For some reason, he just couldn't.

Ika then steps away and says "Alright guys! Ima head back to town. If anyone wants to join me, feel free." Callie grins and waves at Ika. Ika smiles at his sister and the two head back into town. Marie then steps up to the pipe and says "I have some things to do. Orange, Blue, try and help Daniel get integrated into Inkopolis." Clementine and Whinter nod.

Amber then steps up to the pipe with a grin and says "Well, since I wasn't assigned a job, Ima go do some turf wars. See yah agents!" Then with a little hop, Amber is gone.

Whinter sighs and says "Welp, now it's our turn." Turning to Daniel with a fierce grin, he says "Ready to be a true inkling?" Daniel gulps, but smiles back. He wouldn't let his nerves get the best of him. "R-Ready as I'll ever be." Whinter's grin widens and he says "Alright, let's go!" Then, doing a stunt similar to what he did Clementine, Whinter yanks Daniel into the pipe. Clementine shakes her head in exasperation and follows them.

Cap'n Cuttlefish chuckles and says "My my. Blue certainly is lively." Turning away, Cuttlefish begins going to his shack. He turns back once though, a worried look on his face. Octavio was twirling a wasabi stalk around, a longing look in his eyes. Craig sighs and says "I am sorry, old friend. You simply can't bring her back." His heart heavy, Cuttlefish enters his shack.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**-With Callie and Ika-**

As soon as they re-entered Inkopolis, the two siblings were already changed into casual wear. Callie still had her hoodie, but she got rid of her shades and her beanie. Ika had a simple white t-shirt on with black and red shorts. There was no trace of their hero outfits. The two of them looked completely different to their agent "counterparts".

Ika sighs as the two begin walking around. He smiles at the bright blue sky and says "I rarely get to enjoy myself like this with you. You and Marie are so busy nowadays." Callie chuckles sheepishly and says "W-Well, you know how it is. Popstars, news announcers, AND agents? It takes a lot." Ika nods, a sad smile on his face.

Callie then brings up a common topic. Leaning towards her brother, she says "You know, you could always join us. You have an amazing singing voice and you would fit in perfectly!" Ika shakes his head, his mouth set in a nervous line. "N-No! I told you this already, I don't like the spotlight!" Callie just grins deviously and says "No, you just have stage fright." Ika just grumbles, a blush of embarrassment on his face.

After shaking off his social anxiety, Ika looks over to Callie and says "So, where do you wanna go?" Callie puts a hand under her chin, thinking hard. After a little bit, her eyes snap open and she says "Let's go to Manta's Ice Cream Shop! I'd love a double chocolate chip sundae!" Laughing at his sister's sudden enthusiasm, Ika replies with "Why not."

The two change direction and walk out of the Inkopolis plaza. They continue a walking a while longer, chatting the whole time. Soon, they were outside of a simple brick building. It had a sign with a dark purple inkling holding an ice cream cone saying the words "Manta's Ice Cream Shop". The two open the door and walk in.

The inside had a typical parlor look. Manta was always one for the old days. Speaking of Manta, said Inkling is at the counter, cleaning a bowl. He looks up at the jingle of his door and grins at his visitors. "Well, well, well! If it isn't my two favorite customers! Will it be the usual?" Ika nods and says "Thanks Manta." Manta waves him off and says "Don't mention it, squiddo."

Ika and Callie walk to their usual table in the back corner of the parlor. It was far enough away to not be the center of attention, but close enough to the door so Ika can see who comes and goes. He always likes to be prepared.

Ika leans back in his chair and says "So Callie. What's happening lately?" Callie responds casually with "Oh, the usual. I keep getting requests from companies to join them. Even Marie is getting all sorts of stuff." Ika nods, a sad look once again on his face.

He faces his sister with an upset look and says "It won't be long before you have to leave Inkopolis because of some request you can't turn down. What'll happen then?" Callie looks down at the table, suddenly losing her boundless energy. "I-I… I don't know. I don't want to leave, but the news station wants new inklings for the show. They have to 'Stay Fresh' and all."

Ika looks down as well, a thoughtful expression on his face. He looks back up with a small smile and says "You could always live with me. I have the room." Callie giggles in reply. "I'll keep that in mind."

Manta then walks over to the siblings and says "Here you two go. I put in extra chocolate chips, free of charge." Callie squeals and instantly dives into her sundae. Ika smiles at Manta and says "Thanks Manta." Manta just waves him off with a chuckle.

Ika leans over his sundae and begins eating at a much better pace than Callie. It wasn't long before "BRAIN FREEZE, BRAIN FREEZE!" rings out. Ika laughs at Callie's karma, and Manta was chuckling behind the counter.

Soon after, both of the squid were done. Ika lets out a content sigh, then smiles. "Ah, I just love ice cream. So good." Callie nods in reply, her eyes closed in contentment. She cracks one open and smiles. She suddenly whines out "Ikyyyyyyy, I can't move. My tummy's too full." Ika sighs and says "Alright, alright. No need to try and trick me. You can ride." Callie giggles and transforms into a squid.

Reaching into his bag, Ika pulls out his black jacket. He puts it on, but doesn't grab Callie. She cracks an eye open again when Ika says "One second Callie. I need to go to the bathroom, then pay for our sundaes. Wait for me outside, alright." Callie grumbles in protest, but nods anyways. As Ika goes to the bathroom, Callie reverts back to humanoid form and walks outside, leaving her bag with Ika's

She goes to a bench next to the parlor and looks around, suddenly bored. But when a sudden scraping sound is heard, Callie snaps to attention. She turns to the alley next to the store, and out come 3 inklings.

The inklings all had ripped up gray jackets, and they all had a rough looking appearance. The front inklings, a forest green inkling with a mohawk, seemed to be the leader. He also stood a good head taller than Callie.

Callie gets off her bench, her sense on high alert now. She looks at the inklings' hands and notice the have ink knives, knives that are coated in an inkling's ink color. None of them had Callie's color, but they all were green.

The leader steps forwards and says "Well, we got quite a catch today. This is a good one, 'ey boys?" The other inklings simply chuckle menacingly. Callie backs up in alarm and says "What do you all want." The leader puts on a seemingly friendly face and says "Nothin' much. Just your time 's all."

Callie steps back again, slight fear in her eyes. She slightly bares her fangs at the trio, but it doesn't faze them. The leader takes a single step towards Callie and says "Now, why don't you come with me baby. Then we can do something… real nice."

Callie is now shivering in fear. She knew what was happening. She was an agent after all. She reaches down to her side, but grabs nothing but air. She looks at her side in shock, then her eyes widen. She left her bag inside.

The leader notices the action and guesses what it means. He growls and says "Jig is up boys. Get 'er." The two inklings nod and take a step towards Callie. Callie steps back, her eyes wide in fear.

Suddenly, a stream of red ink slams into the two approaching inklings, causing them to fall to their knees. Callie looks behind her and sees Ika, his eyes shadowed over. He then says "No one lays a hand on my sister." The leader looks at the new inkling and says "Sister? This is Callie of the Squid Sisters. She has no sibling other than Marie." Ika just frowns and says "That was two wrong answers."

Then, faster than the assaulting inkling could follow, Ika was in the air. He had his brush over his head, his golden eyes burning into the inkling. Then, holding back as to not kill the inkling, Ika slams his brush into the attacker.

The leader crumples under the impact and falls to the ground unconscious. Ika glares at the knocked-out inkling and says "Serves you right." Callie watches in dumbfoundment, then smiles. She runs to Ika and throws her arms around him, yelling "Thank you thank you thank you Thank You!" Ika chuckles and says "O-Ok, I get it Callie! Can you let go of me now?"

Manta, seeing the whole thing, rushes outside. He looks at the siblings and says "You two alright?" Callie nods and says "A little shaken, but I am fine." Manta breathes a sigh of relief, then says "Alright. Your pack is inside Callie. I also called the police to deal with these hooligans." Ika nods and says "Thanks Manta."

Ika and Callie go and get her pack, then go off. They wave at Manta as they leave. Manta calls after them and says "Stay safe, ya hear?!" Ika yells back "Don't worry, we will!" Soon the two of them leave the area.

By the time they reach the plaza, it was already 3:00. Ika looks at Callie and says "I have nothing else to do. Wanna go to my place?" Callie nods, still eager to spend some time with her brother.

The two of them walk over to the alleyway leading to Ika's house and enter. It wasn't long before they were inside Ika's little residence. Callie goes over to the couch and plops herself down on it. The couch was nice, despite what the area looked like.

Ika sits on the couch next to Callie and says "So, anything you wanna do?" Callie glances up at her brother and says "Video games?" Ika shrugs and says "Sure."

Ika puts in Super Squid Bros, a popular platforming game, and the two of them begin playing. The hours fly by as the two of them get by each level, focusing hard.

"Agh! I can't believe we lost again." Ika glares at the screen and says "Calowser is hard. His fire ink is so difficult to avoid once he becomes big." Ika then looks over at a clock on his wall and notices it is close to 10.

Ika gets up and stretches and says "Welp, that was fun, but I need to go to bed. Want me to walk you home?" Callie shivers slightly, then shakes her head. She then says "Actually, can I stay here tonight?" Ika, instantly understanding her fear, nods. "Of course you can. Come on, I have a spot for you."

Ika and Callie go into Ika's room. Ika tucks himself under the covers, when a magenta squid flops onto his face. Ika jumps at Callie's attack and shoots upwards, Callie falling to the side. Ika looks over to Callie's pillow and simply finds Callie, in her humanoid form, sleeping peacefully. He glares at her, but then smiles. Turning onto his side, Ika soon falls asleep.

**-Author Notes-**

**Well, that was a fun little one-shot. I wanted to show how fiercely defensive Callie and Ika are to each other. Look forwards to more random fun stuff in the future!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Ika yawns widely as the sun rises, his fangs quite visible. He blinks a few times to adjust his eyes, then sniffs. Something smelt good. Encouraged by the smell, Ika pulls himself out of his bed and goes to find the smell.

He enters the hallway leading to his room and enters the living room. He looks to his left and sees Callie in the kitchen, cooking pancakes. Ika licks his lips and goes to sit down. Callie looks back at Ika and smiles "Good morning, Ika. Sleep well." Ika just nods, his foggy mind focused on the pancakes.

Callie giggles and says "They'll be done soon." Ika nods again, then tries waking himself up more. By the time the pancakes are done, Ika is fully awake. Callie and Ika eat their pancakes with a large amount of enthusiasm.

They soon finish their pancakes and find themselves on the couch. Ika groans and says "MAAAANNNN. I wish you could stay, but I know you can't" Callie just giggles and says "Funny you say that. The big boss called in and says me and Marie have the day off. Someone broke all their speakers and microphones." Ika's widen and he says "Wow, that is a lot of destruction."

Ika then smiles and says "Well, how about we go for a stroll then? I'm sure the morning sun will feel nice this time." Callie nods and says "Yeah. The sun is nice here in July." Callie then hops off the couch and says "Alright Ika, let's go!" Ika chuckles at the sudden energy and gets up.

A couple minutes later the two of them are leaving Ika's house. They enter the Inkopolis plaza and simply stroll around, enjoying the summer air. Soon, they were in front of a large tower. Next to the tower though, was something interesting.

"AND STAY OUT!" A door opens on a building next to the tower and a tall blue inkling throws out a smaller inkling. She has a simple white dress/jacket hybrid, along with a crown on her head. She also had white tentacles that faded to pink at the bottom. The inkling gets up and yells back "W-WELL… I NEVER WANTED TO JOIN ANYWAYS!"

The white inkling grumbles and dusts herself off. Callie and Ika sees the entire exchange and runs over. Callie puts on a concerned expression and says "Hey, you alright?" The inkling looks up and says "What's it to you?"

Callie simply smiles and says "Well, I wanted to make sure you are alright. I saw what that guy did to you." The inkling grumbles and just looks down. Callie looks at her with a curious expression and says "So, why did you get kicked out?"

The white inkling blushes slightly and says "I sang too loud and broke their equipment." Callie blinks, wide eyes "_So that explains the call."_ She then chuckles nervously and says "R-Really? That must of been some loud singing." The inkling nods and says "I really try to avoid singing. I can't control my volume, and it can be dangerous with how loud I can be. But I also love singing. I just don't know what to do!"

Callie nods in understanding. She had a similar situation when her and Marie came to Inkopolis. The modern day music was so different to their traditional styles. Callie then looks up as she thinks. "_Hmmm. What style of music goes without singing much?" _Callie racks her brain for the answer. She can feel it on the tip of her tongue! Then, suddenly, it clicks.

Callie snaps her fingers, startling the inkling and says "Rapping! You can do rapping!" The inkling tilts her head and says "Rapping, huh? That's… actually not a bad idea." The inkling puts on a determined face and says "Yeah! I'll become the best rapper Inkopolis had ever seen!"

Callie giggles at the girl's enthusiasm and says "That's the spirit! It'll get you far in a rapping career." The inkling smiles at Callie and says "Thanks, Callie. Oh, by the way, name's Pearl." Pearl puts out her hand, and Callie grasps it. The two shake as Callie says "Nice to meet you Pearl. I wish you the best of luck in your career."

Pearl nods and says "Thanks." Pearl goes to leave, when Callie says "Wait!" Pearl turns around and looks at Callie curiously. Callie then says "See if you can find a DJ. They are a rapper's best friend!" Pearl grins and flashes a thumbs up. She then runs off to another section of Inkopolis.

Callie smiles at the retreating girl. Ika steps up next to her and says "She seems nice." Callie nods and says "Yes, she did seem like that. I hope she can follow her dream." Ika raises an eyebrow at his sister and says "That's some pretty fancy stuff coming out of your mouth Callie. Better stop before I think you're an imposter." Callie giggles and says "Oh, stop it!" Ika just chuckles.

Callie then says "Well, why don't we go visit grandpa? I'm sure he'd like to see us." Ika nods and says "Alright, sound good." The two of them turn around and head to the grate that leads to Octo Canyon. The two hop in without hesitance.

**-Octo Canyon-**

The two of them pop up in Octo Canyon, Marie's Calamarian shack in front of them. Outside was Cap'n Cuttlefish, lounging about in his chair. He appeared to be sleeping. Ika turns to his right and sees Octavio, who also appeared to be sleeping. In fact, Octavio seemed more tired than he's ever looked, even asleep.

Ika nudges Callie's shoulder and says "Look at Octavio. He seems to be drained of everything." Callie looks over and notices the same thing. "Has he been getting fed enough?" Ika nods and says "Should be. But I think this is emotional, not physical." Ika then shakes his head and says "Let's not worry about it. Octavio is not something on my 'To worry about' list." Callie nods, but she can't help but look at the exhausted octopus.

Ika then walks forwards to Cuttlefish. Ika taps him on the shoulder, and Cap'n almost instantly snaps awake. "WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS THE DANGER!?" Cap'n had his fists up, his eyes wild. Ika steps back, a little alarmed, and says "W-Woah there gramps! It's just me and Callie!" Cap'n blinks a few times, and the wild look disappears. "Sorry squiddos. Must've been a dream."

A sudden groan then goes out. "UUUUGGGGHHHH! Can't you stay quiet and let me get some sleep for more than five minutes!" Octavio cracks an eye open, then frowns. "Oh, it's you two." He shuts his eyes again and says "I ain't dealing with this. Cross…. Fade-to…. Blaaaaack." Octavio begins snoring on the 'black' part. Callie had to put in a lot of effort not to laugh.

Ika shakes his head and looks back at his grandpa. "So, anything new gramps?" Cap'n shrugs a little and says "Nothing much. Orange and Blue helped 4 get a house and introduced him to turf wars. He seems drawn to Dualies." Ika nods.

Ika shrugs and says "Pretty uneventful then." The old inkling nods. "Yes, it is. Anything else you want squiddo?" Ika shakes his head and says "No, but we did wanna see our gramps. Callie got the day off." Cap'n smiles and says "That is very kind of you two, but why don't you go do a turf war instead? I know you two love playing together." Ika looks uncertain, but nods. His grandpa always means what he says, even if it is a little strange sometimes.

Ika walks back over to Callie and says "Alright then. Bye gramps." Callie waves enthusiastically and says "Bye grandpa!" Craig just chuckles and says "Goodbye squiddos. Have fun." The two inklings nod, then jump in the grate. Craig then stretches and goes over to his chair. He sits down on it, and soon falls asleep.

The hours pass by quickly, and soon it is midday. Octavio shifts slightly as he hears a noise. It sounded like… the hatch on the snow globe opening. Octavio cracks an eye open and looks down, wondering what Craig was doing this time. But… it wasn't Craig.

Instead of his old enemy, Octavio saw a single Octoling. And this wasn't any Octoling either. She had black-purple tentacles and seaweed on her head, a symbol of being an elite. Octavio narrows his eyes and says "Took you long enough, Octari." Octari doesn't look up, her focus on the panel in front of her. "I am sorry, my lord. We couldn't get out of the underground easily. It became even more difficult with all the agents."

Octavio shrugs and says "Whatever. Just get me out of here." The Octoling nods and continues her work. After a couple more minutes of silent work, the hatch of the globe opens. Octavio is then able to slip his way out. He chuckles and says "Freedom, finally. The DJ is back!" Octari then shushes Octavio and says "Shush, Octavio! You can't wake Cuttlefish!"

Octavio shrugs again. He is fairly certain he could take out Craig easily, but Octari wanted silence. He could roll with that. It wouldn't be long before his spicy beats are rolling again anyways.

Octari ushers Octavio over to the side and shows him a small ship. Octari slips inside, Octavio not far behind. But, while Octari slips inside, Octavio gets stuck. His eyes widen and he begins struggling. But nothing he did worked.

Octavio tries one more push, but to no avail. He sighs and says "Gosh, I hate this form." Octavio then gets covered in magenta ink and falls into the ship. Octavio lands next to Octari in his humanoid form. He wore a standard samurai suit, his helmet still one his head. He also had a mustache and small beard.

Octari blinks and says "M-My lord! I didn't know you could still switch to your humanoid form." Octavio glares at Octari and says "Of course I can! I am general Octavio, and I can do many things better than most." Octari gulps at the sudden hostility and says "O-Of course, my lord." Octari then turns to the ship controls and inputs a few , the ship is hovering well above the air. Then, with one final charge up, the ship blasts off.

"**OCTAVIO IS BACK, BABY!"**


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**-A few hours before Octavio's escape-**

Ika and Callie instantly went towards the turf war lobby after exiting the pipe. Ika had already pulled out his inkbrush, and Callie had her Krak-on Roller out. The two of them step inside and go up to the desk.

"Two for normal battles please." The orange colored inkling looked up at the two of them. She smiles at Callie and says "Ah! Alright then. Head to room 309, it is currently open." Ika nods and heads off into the building, Callie following.

It takes them only a minute to reach the room. They enter the room, and a cool feeling washes over them. That was the link that connects them to the respawn point. The two of them walk over to a side, the color being a dark purple.

The two of them sit and notice that no one else was present. They wait for a little while, and soon more inklings join. In fact, these inklings were very familiar. First was Amber, who was casually doing turf wars since yesterday.

Amber notices the two siblings and waves at them. She had a Tentatek Splattershot in her hands. "Hey you two! I didn't know you were doing some turf wars today!" Ika smiles and says "And I didn't know you have been doing them since yesterday." Amber just grins and shrugs her shoulders. "Gotta level up somehow."

Soon after Amber arrives, three more inklings join. Or… two and a half. Clementine slaps her head and says "Well, that friend system just loves us today." Amber smirks and says "Sorry, you still gotta deal with me today." Clementine, Whinter, and Daniel all sit on the opposite couch, their respective weapons in hand.

The next inkling was a little unexpected. "Oh, heyo Callie! I didn't expect to see you here!" Callie giggles and says "Wow, everyone is showing up today." Pearl simply smirks and goes to the other side. Ika smiles to himself in exasperation. "Well, all we need now is Marie and we'll have the whole gang."

Then the final inkling walks in. She has a green hoodie and a black undershirt. She also had on sneakers and black shorts. Her hair was in a very familiar fashion. "Well, speak of the devil." Marie smiles at the lobby and says "Looks like my plan worked." Callie gets confused and says "What plan?"

Marie smiles at her cousin as she goes to sit. "Well, since we had the day off, I figured some turf wars would be nice. I managed to get a room set up for all of us. The last spot was random." Callie looks over at Pearl and says "Coincidental."

Soon, every inkling feels a familiar tugging feeling. Right after, each of them pop up on their respective spawn points. Callie's team was a dark purple. Clementine's was an orange. The stage was Arowana Mall.

Ika looks at his teammates and says "So, a shooter, an inkbrush, a roller, and a charger. Interesting team." Marie nods and says "Yeah. And the other team has a charger, a roller, a dualie user, and I believe a blaster." Callie smiles and says "So Pearl uses a blaster. Neat."

Soon, a horn goes off. The two teams rush forward and begin covering the map. It wasn't long before both front lines meet in the middle. Daniel runs around, constantly switching between forms, hoping to use his mobility to his advantage. Sadly, Daniel was still new, and it wasn't long before Amber took him out.

On the other side, things were more even. Callie and Whinter had met up and were battling very cautiously. Both of them were avoiding the other's swings and staying far away. Then, a sudden beam of purple ink shoots by. Callie looks back and sees Marie waving at her. Callie grins and moves forwards past the ink puddle that was Whinter.

Ika, who had successfully managed to get behind everyone, had begun his job of inking the enemy base. But, he should've remembered the charger was his captain. With one well placed shot, Ika was sent back to his respawn by Clementine.

Amber had moved to the upper ground after splatting Daniel and was on the lookout for Pearl, the only inkling that hadn't been accounted for. Then, Amber feels a burning feeling on her back. She looks behind her and sees Pearl aiming her blaster at Amber, grinning.

Knowing she would be splat if Pearl hit, Amber slips through the bar beneath her. She barely avoided the blast above her. She hits the trail of purple ink behind her and swims off. Pearl _humphs_ as her shot misses. Then she shrugs and begins covering the ground in orange.

"**1 MINUTE REMAINING!"**

Ika got back to the middle in no time, deciding to try some assassination. He looks over and sees Daniel and Pearl running around, inking all the ground in orange. Marie was trying to snipe them, but Clementine was keeping the pressure up. Amber was recovering and Callie was caught up fighting Whinter again. Knowing he had no other choice, Ika runs towards the duo.

Pearl nudges Daniel as she sees Ika coming. Daniel nods and turns around, going to paint some other area. Pearl smirks and yells out "HEYO BRUSH GUY!" Ika grumbles and shouts back "Name's Ika!" Pearl shrugs and says "Whatever. YA READY FOR THIS?!" Ika tilts his head, then steps back in shock.

Pearl's tentacles had begun to glow, and Pearl was grinning. She then flips over, and a killer wail is placed in front of her. Ika's eyes widen and looks around, hoping for a way out. He looks at a wall with a trail of purple, and he smiles. Pearl, on the other hand, takes a deep breath. Then, she shouts out "**BOOYAH!**". The one simple word is enough, and the Killer Wail vibrates as it activates.

With the activation sound out, Ika knew he had no time, Taking a mad dash for the wall, Ika swims up. He reaches the top just as the killer wail fully activates, and a beam of deadly sound waves flies below. Ika breathes out a sigh of relief, then continues forwards.

"**30 SECONDS LEFT!" **

Pearl stomps her foot on the ground as she watches Ika go up. "DANG IT! I missed!" Pearl then feels a tap on her shoulder and turns around. Behind her was Callie, and her tentacles were glowing. Pearl steps back and raises her blaster, but Callie was quicker.

Activating her special, Callie is covered in ink. The ink then takes the shape of a giant squid, and a kraken pops out! Yelling in fear, Pearl runs off as she is chased by Kraken Callie. Callie quickly catches up though, and splats Pearl. Callie reverts back and runs off, going to get some last effort painting.

"**STOP BATTLING!"**

Callie breaths out a sigh of relief that the battle is over. She quickly super jumps back to her base and goes inside the return grate. Callie pops out in their lobby, finding everyone else in their as well. They were all looking at the screen, mumbling to each other.

The map was pretty well even. No one could tell who the winner was. Judd was on screen, looking at the map with a critical eye. Then he reaches behind himself, and pulls out a purple flag! Callie, Ika, and Amber celebrate while Marie just smiles. Clementine, Whinter, and Daniel congratulate them.

Pearl goes over to Ika and says "Hey, you did pretty well out there." Ika blushes in embarrassment at the praise. "Thanks… you did good too." Pearl smirks and says "I may have missed you with my killer wail, but I'll get you next time." Pearl then walks out of the room. Ika blinks a couple times. "_Talk about fierce."_

Callie then slides up next to her brother with a sly look on her face. "So, did the prince find his princess?" Ika jumps, his face a bright red. "N-NO! NOTHING LIKE THAT! I BARELY KNOW HER!" Callie shrugs, but the sly smile is still on her face.

Ika shakes his head and says "L-Let's go!" Callie giggles and waves at everyone. But right as they are about to leave, everyone hears a beeping. Everyone looks down at the communicators on their wrists and can see a red light flashing. Marie looks at all the agents and says "Red alert. Whatever is going on, it is serious. Let's go!"

All of the agents rush out of the lobby very quickly. Some inklings take notice of the small group, and Marie notices this. "Damn! I should've realized. Everyone split up and come back later! We can't have other people noticing us." Everyone nods and splits ways. They would come back after the commotion dies down.

**-2 hours later-**

2 hours might have been a little much, but Ika wanted to be certain he and Callie wouldn't be noticed. The two casually walk into the plaza, trying hard not to show an hurrying. Soon, they were at the grate that leads to Octo Canyon. The two of them step on the grate, then slip through. No one noticed.

After only a couple seconds, the two of them pop out of the grate in Octo Canyon, each of them in their respective hero gear. They can see that the other agents are already here. Even Daniel was present, and he had a hero suit on.

Cap'n Cuttlefish walks up to them and says "Come, come! It is a disaster!" The two nod and join the group. Cap'n turns to the agents grim faced and says "Octavio escaped." Every agent's eyes widen, and scream out "**WHAT?!**" Cap'n nods and says "I am afraid it is so. And I don't believe he was by himself either."

Cap'n walks over to the snow globe, which seemed perfectly untouched. But, as he flips open the panel on the globe, something barely noticeable drips out. Marie goes over to the hatch and rubs a finger along the substance. As it stings her finger slightly, she knew what it was. "Octarian ink."

Cap'n nods and says "Yes. And judging by this, it is safe to assume that an Octarian helped Octavio escape." Marie sighs and gets up. "That means the Inkantation didn't get all the Octolings like we hoped." Cap'n shakes his head in a negative manner. "I'm afraid not."

Cap'n then looks at the agents with a serious expression and says "Scope out the area! See if you can find any trace of where Octavio went!" The agents all salute, then run off.

**-30 minutes later-**

All of the agents touchdown on the Tentakeel Outpost hub at roughly the same time. They all had no luck in finding where Octavio went. Not even a trace of a direction.

Marie walks up to her grandpa and says "Nothing. No traces could be found anywhere." Cap'n sighs and says "Well, that just about does it. Octavio is getting better." Cap'n waves them all off and says "Nothing we can do if we can't find anything. Best get going squiddos." The agents nod, and hop back into the return pipe.

As Ika pops back out of the pipe, he can't help but think. "_Something big is going to happen, I just know it. The question is though, how long till it happens?" _He wasn't sure he wanted to find out.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**-3 months later-**

Ika walks around Inkopolis in the cool autumn air. He breathes in the smell of sweets in the air. Splatoween was tonight, and the city was getting ready for it. In fact, the splatfest theme was even Splatoween based. _Pirates vs Ninjas_.

Ika himself was a ninja fan. How couldn't he be? He was practically one himself. Marie agreed and he was happy to find out that Amber and Clementine did as well. Callie, Daniel, Whinter, and Callie's friend Pearl were all on the pirate side.

Ika sighs in happiness at the peace. Nothing had happened since Octavio escaped, not even a single report of Octarians in the Canyon. But at the same time, it set Ika on edge. It made him feel that the longer Octavio went untouched, the bigger his eventual plan would be.

Luckily, Ika knew how to cut loose. He was currently on his way to Octo Canyon to meet up with the other agents. Even Pearl was there, but they tried to keep the whole agent thing a secret. This time, the meet up wasn't for a mission. It was for a party!

With Splatoween tonight, the agents planned to dress up and go Trick-or-Treating for as long as possible before the midnight Splatfest party. Some planned to go do a little more tricks than treats.

Ika stops in front of the grate, and hops inside. In the few seconds it takes him to arrive at Octo Canyon, Ika had already changed. He was wearing a suit of an old ninja from human folklore. His name was "Kakashi Hatake". He seemed cool.

Ika pops out of the great and says "Yo." Everyone greets Ika and gestures for him to join them. Ika looks around and takes note of everyone's costumes.

Clementine and Whinter were doing a duo costume, with the two of them dressed up as orange and blue onis. Pearl dressed up as a ghost, complete with a goopy slime on her tentacles. Amber had on an actual ninja suit. She even had a katana. Marie and Callie were dressed up as a vampire and mummy respectively. Daniel dressed up as… an octoling. Um, ok. That might be a little dangerous, but Daniel wasn't completely briefed on the threat of the Octarians yet.

Ika goes to stand with the group, Callie and Marie in front. Callie smiles, her bottom fang hidden from view, and says "Alright guys! In less than an hour, the trick-or-treating section of Splatoween will start!" Marie nods and says "Everyone have their bags?" Each agent nods and shows their respective bags.

Marie nods in satisfaction and says "Alright then. Why don't we head out and get something to eat before we start?" Everyone agrees, and soon leaves the Canyon.

**-Back In Inkopolis-**

Deep within a dark part of Inkopolis, a single grate is left unattended. The grate shutters, then ink flows out. The ink gathers together and forms a person. She had a dark brown skin, and had on a simple t-shirt and shorts. Her hair was a dark purple that faded into a bright blue at the bottom. The black around her eyes wasn't connected at the nose. The person was no doubt an Octoling.

The Octoling looks around nervously, and goes to the entrance of the alley. She peers out and watches as the inklings move about, all of them dressed up for the holiday. The Octoling shakes and tries to calm down. "C-Calm down Marina. You can do this. This is the perfect time."

Marina takes a few more breaths, then puts a hat on. Shoving as much of her hair underneath it as possible, she steps out into the open. She shakes as she walks, not liking the attention she was getting. Luckily, every inkling just went back to their business. They were simply curious.

Marina's shaking was practically violent at this point, and she couldn't stand being in the open anymore. She hurries inside an establishment near her. Marina breaths out another sigh of relief, then turns around. She notices that this place seemed to be a restaurant of sorts. It had, some sort of game systems to her right, and a dining hall to the left.

Marina timidly walks over to the dining hall, then sits down. No one else was present except a worker, so Marina was relatively alone.

"Did you see that costume? That guy looked almost exactly like Cap'n Cuttlefish!" Ika laughs and says "It'd be more accurate if they added 50 years." Pearl chuckles and says "I suppose so. That old geezer must look very different." Ika shakes his head and says "More than you know."

Marina watches as the large group of inklings moves to an area near the arcade, ready to get some food. Marina whimpers slightly, and moves to a more shadowed corner.

Once she gets moved, she examines the group more. Each one of them were wearing costumes. And… wait, was that an Octoling?! Marina stares at the octoling in shock, until his 'hair' falls. Underneath was a hair of some sort of fibers, but it wasn't an Octoling. Marina wasn't sure how to feel about that.

**-With the group-**

Callie grins as she says "And then I transformed into a kraken right in front of him! He was so scared." The group laughs at Callie's telling of a trick she did on a previous Splatoween. Ika shakes his head and says "As always, you are the prankster." Callie simply grins.

Soon, a waiter approaches their table. He was one of the jellyfish folk. "What can I get you squiddos tonight?" Ika says "Just an orange soda please." Amber says "I'll take a fried seanwich with a cup of orange juice."

Everyone else orders a simple drink, and the waiter is off. Pearl looks around the establishment, but then notices something. She thought she saw movement in the other area of the dining hall, but she wasn't sure. She looks around, staring at the darkness. THERE! It was just a flicker, but she was certain she saw something move.

Pearl gets up and says "Hey, I think someone might be alone here." Callie looks at her and says "Alone? Well, we can't have that." Pearl nods and says "I'll go speak with them." Pearl leaves the table and walks over to the lone inkling.

Marina shrinks back in fear as the white inkling moves towards her. Did they discover her? Did they know she was an Octoling? Were they going to spat her? Torture her?! She didn't want to know!

"Hey there. Name's Pearl." Marina looks at the inkling's outstretched hand in curiosity. So, they don't know she was an Octoling. Marina timidly puts out her own hand and says "M-Marina." Pearl smirks and says "Nice to meet ya Marina."

Pearl then hops onto a seat next to Marina and says "So, what's a cool looking inkling like yourself doing in here alone?" Marina squeaks at the compliment, then tries to say an answer. "I-I-I…. W-Well, I…" Pearl then waves her off and says "Ah, no need to answer. I can tell you ain't comfortable with it."

Pearl then smiles widely and says "Say, how about you join me and my friends? We are having a big party tonight for Splatoween, and I'm sure they'd let you join." Marina shakes a little in fright, but actually considers the offer. This could be her chance to really know how inklings act. Was Octavio really lying, or was the Inkantation just another mind control?

Marina doesn't respond, then slowly nods her head. "O-Ok. I'll come." Pearl grins widely and says "I knew you would! Come on then, it isn't everyday you get to hang out with the Squid Sisters!" Marina _eeps_ as Pearl grabs her wrist and drags her to the group's table.

Pearl pulls up a chair and let's Marina take a seat next to her. Marina shrinks back as all the inklings look at her. Ika looks at Pearl and says "So this is the person that was alone." Pearl nods, laying back, and says "Yep. Found her hiding in the shadows all by herself. I couldn't just leave her there."

Callie then flashes a big smile at Marina and says "Hi there! Name's Callie, but I'm sure you already know this." Marina squeaks and shrinks back at Callie's volume. Marie looks at the cowering 'inkling' and says "She sure is timid." Callie shrinks back herself in embarrassment. She didn't mean to startle the inkling.

Clementine smiles warmly at Marina and says "Don't worry about Callie. She sometimes has more energy than what she knows what to do with. She was just trying to be nice." Then, the waiter comes back. "Here are your drinks. Enjoy." Everyone says their thanks.

Whinter takes a sip of his juice, then says "So, I don't think we caught your name." Amber then mumbles out "That's because she hasn't said it yet." Whinter pauses, then blushes. "O-Oh, right."

Marina sits up a little straighter at that. These inklings didn't seem so back. "M-My name is Marina." Marie raises an eyebrow and says "Marina? Interesting name." Marina hesitantly nods. She didn't like the way the green inkling was looking at her. She seemed like she could see right through her disguise.

Afterwards, the group settles into a comfortable silence. For Marina though, it was very awkward. She wasn't sure what to do. She was relieved when all the inklings stood and began walking out of the establishment.

As Marina gets up, she feels a hand on her shoulder. "Don't move. Don't look at me." Marina freezes, and she very nearly retaliates. Only her years of training stopped her from attacking a superior enemy.

Marie glares at the back of Marina's head and says "I know you are an actual Octoling. I will let you off with one warning. Do anything suspicious or nasty, and I will personally splat you." Marina gulps and nods. Marie then walks around Marina and says "Alright then. Assuming you heard the Inkantation, I can't believe you to be too bad. Let's go catch up with the rest."

Marina nods, then follows Marie.

The group was waiting outside. Callie crosses her arms and says "What took you so long?" Marie just shrugs and leaves it at that. Callie rolls her eyes, but doesn't say anything. The group then begins walking to Callie and Marie's house.

It doesn't take long before the group reaches the large two story house of the Squid Sisters. The two cousins go to the door and open them wide. "Welcome to the Squid Sisters House of Fun!"

As everyone looks inside, they all gasp.

The two cousins had gone all out, and the entire house was covered in spooky decorations, complete with ghosts, zombies, goblins, and all sorts of other things. Callie grins at them all and says "So, let's begin!"

Callie and Marie lead the group to the large living room. They had an assortment of Splatoween movies. Marie looks at them with fake focus and says "Hmmmm. What should we watch?" Practically everyone shouted "SPLATOWEEN!" at the same time. Marie smiles, then puts the movie in.

**-Later-**

Everyone watches intently at the screen as the protagonist faces off against the murderous Mike Eeler. The masked inkling once again had the upper hand, but Doctor Louis wasn't having any of it.

With a yell placed shot, the doctor ignites the flammable ink beneath the killer. The killer ignites into flames and flails around, screaming in agony. The screen fades to black as the killer falls to the ground, seemingly dead.

Callie stretches and says "That was fun. Sure scary though." Marie chuckles and says "I think it got to Ika the most." Ika had his half face mask pulled over his eyes. Other than that, nothing showed his fear.

Whinter stands up and stretches, then says "Alright. How about we get started?" The other agents agree enthusiastically. Even Marina was smiling slightly. This Splatoween seemed like fun.

The agents all leave the cousins' house and find the streets filled with dressed up inklings. The group walks along, asking for candy from houses they passed. Pearl and Amber did a little more… tricking than treating.

Marina even tried to get some candy. One older couple, living in the outer edges of Inkopolis, were so swayed by Marina's shyness that they gave her a whole chocolate bar. Pearl frowns in mock jealousy and says "Man, why did you get it." Marina giggles, recognizing the friendly banter. Pearl grins back.

Soon, the group found themselves back in the plaza. Callie and Marie wave to the group and say "We need to go get ready for the party. Have fun guys!" Callie waves as her and Marie run off.

Ika looks at the group and says "Alright, you all want to just hang out?" The group nods, then goes over to one of the outdoor tables. They all begin chatting as Callie and Marie prepare for the party.

An hour later, just a few minutes before midnight, a jingle is heard throughout the city. Callie smiles on screen and says "Hold onto your costumes…" Marie continues with "It's Splatfest time!" The inklings all cheer at the announcement.

Callie looks at her mummified cousin and says "We have some extra spooky battles going on tonight!" Marie nods and says "Yes we do. And for the first time ever, all the stages are open! For tonight only, play any stage with spookified decorations!" More cheering ensues.

Callie then says "Say Marie, don't you think it's about time we get started?" Marie nods and says "Yes, I believe so. Let's head on stage." The screen flips off, and a stage in the plaza lights up. Out walks Callie and Marie, each in their costumes and doing their Squid Sisters pose.

"Hey all you inklings out there!" Marie smiles slightly as she says "You ready to rock?" The inklings nod. Callie and Marie then smile widely and say "Let's go!" An upbeat music starts, and soon the inklings are all dancing.

**(Song: Ink Me Up)**

Pearl nods her head to the beat. "Man, I always loved these songs. One of the reasons I want to become good at singing." Marina's ears perk up as she hears this. "Oh? You want to make music?" Pearl nods and says "Yep! It's my dream to become as famous as the big time singers like Callie and Marie!"

Pearl looks over to where Callie is dancing and says "Callie even helped me. Said I should be a rapper. But she also said I should find a DJ. No luck there." Marina looks down, getting an idea. She wanted to learn about the inklings so she can join Inkopolis without disguise. This might be her chance.

Marina looks at Pearl and says "I-I'm a DJ." Pearl's gaze snaps over to Marina and practically yells out "YOU ARE?!" Marina shrinks back and says "Y-Yes… But I am new. I don't think I am that good though." Pearl waves her off and says "No way! I doubt you could be bad. You seem the right kind of inkling to be a DJ!"

Pearl grins at Marina and says "How about this. You make a song up on your own, and I'll review it! Maybe we can even collab later." Marina just stares for a little bit, then smiles. "Y-Yes. That sounds nice." Pearl sits back smirking and says "Of course it does! Now, let's just enjoy the music."

The groups continues to listen to the performance set on by Callie and Marie. It seemed all to soon that the performance ends and the battling starts. Callie and Marie make their way to the group, both of them extremely tired.

Marie plops down onto a chair and says "Oooohhhh. My throat is going to die." Callie nods and falls down, just as exhausted. She even turned into a squid by accident. Ika picks up his exhausted sister and puts her in his lap. "I'm sure it is. Want to rest?" Marie opens an eye, notices her content cousin, then nods. Marie turns into a squid, and Ika picks her up. Marie and Callie rest on Ika's lap, each of them sleeping soundly.

Ika smiles and says "I think it's time we went home. These two are tired beyond belief." Ika gets up, says his goodbyes, then leaves. Clementine, Whinter, and Amber however go to play some battles. Daniel refrains from it and heads home himself, leaving only Pearl and Marina.

Marina watches the departing group and says "I should head home to." Pearl pouts slightly and says "Aaaawwww. I just was ready to hang out." Marina smiles sheepishly and says "W-Well, you can always visit. Just go to Mt. Nantai and I'll find you." Pearl raises an eyebrow at the location, but ultimately doesn't question it. If Marina wanted to go there, then Pearl was fine with it.

Marina gets up and begins walking away. She waves goodbye to Pearl who grins and waves back. Marina cracks a small smile as she walks away. "_Inklings aren't that bad. In fact, they are really nice!" _Marina's thoughts are filled with the happy memories she made tonight as she hopes into the grate back to Octo Canyon.

**-Author Note-**

**SPOOKY! Splatoween has happened and ended! 3 months have passed and now Octolings are sneaking into Inkopolis?! Things keep heating up!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

True to her promise, Marina met with Pearl regularly on Mt. Nantai. In fact, Marina snuck up there so much that she was living there now. Pearl would often bring food, so Marina never starved.

Throughout the whole time though, Marina could never reveal her secret. Oh, Pearl did see her hair uncovered, but she simply thought it was some 'country thing'. Marina almost had a heart attack.

Now, after 1 month, Pearl and Marina were best friends. It was a good timing as well. Marina had no other octolings to be friends with due to their militaristic society, and Callie was often too busy to spend time with anyone now, let alone Pearl.

Today was just another day for the two friends, but they both had something big in store for the other. Marina looks around at her DJ equipment, trying to see if anything is out of place. She doesn't find anything though.

Soon, there is a knock her little hut's door. Marina grins and rushes to the door. She swings it open wide and finds Pearl standing there, looking as chill as ever. Marina gestures for Pearl to come in, and Pearl happily obliges.

Marina's hut was very simple. It had a small living space to the right and a semi-kitchen to the left. There were three rooms in the back. One was Marina's room, which doubled as a guest room for Pearl. The second one was the bathroom, and the third was Marina's recording station.

Pearl plops herself on Marina's couch and says "So Marina, you said you have something to show me today, right?" Marina nods, her grin practically splitting her face. "Yes I do! Come on, follow me!"

Pearl groans a little at having to get up right away, but she still stands. She follows Marina into the recording station. Marina sits at her booth and activates the turntables. As she puts on her headphones, Marina says "I finally finished the song you wanted." Pearl smiles in surprise. "Really?! Sweet! Let's hear it!"

Pearl takes a seat in front of Marina as she finishes preparing everything. Soon everything was on, and Marina was ready. With a little flick of her turntable, the song starts.

**(Song: Ebb and Flow-Demo)**

As the song fades out, Pearl can say she is honestly impressed. Considering the beat up equipment Marina had, it was impressive she could make anything at all. The fact the song sounded good was just a showing of Marina's talent.

Pearl claps loudly and whistles as the song ends. Marina blushes and says "Did you like it?" Pearl laughs and says "Like?! I loved it! You were fantastic!" Marina blushes more and says "R-Really?" Pearl nods enthusiastically. "Yeah! Your singing was so good, and you did so well with the background parts with your equipment!"

Marina blushes more and covers her face. She wasn't used to praise. Even her amazing intellect didn't mean much back home. Just another soldier with a sharper mind. Doesn't mean much at the barrel point of a gun.

Pearl grins widely and says "Well, now that you showed your surprise, I gotta show mine!" Pearl then frowns and says "More like, say the surprise." Pearl shakes her head and says "Anyways, I got amazing news."

Pearl smiles and says "I thought it'd be about time you got out of this dump. So, with a little work and a lot of turf wars, I managed to get us an apartment!" Marina steps back, shocked. "Y-You… you what?!" Pearl smile's even wider and says "I got us an apartment! We can collab together now, and you can have a better place to live!"

Marina clasps her hands in front of her face. She was trembling, and she was honestly scared. "P-Pearlie, I can't believe you did that for me." Pearl smirks and says "Anything for a good friend." Those words only hurt Marina's heart more.

Marina looks away, hiding her face in her hair, and says "B-B-But… I can't live there." Pearl's smirk instantly disappears and she says "WHAT?! Why not?!" Marina sighs and says "Because... I…. Well… I guess I have no choice."

Marina looks at Pearl very seriously and says "Pearl, my hair isn't a new hair style. I… am an Octoling." Pearl's eyes widen, and she blinks a few times. Marina shrinks back, expecting the yelling or fighting. Or even worse, the simple rejection. Pearl leans back, then frowns. "Is that all?"

Marina looks at Pearl in shock. Pearl looks at Marina more serious than she's ever been. "Marina… I don't care if you are an Octoling. I've seen how you act, and I know you inside and out. I now that you are a good person, and I know that you deserve a good life." Pearl smiles at Marina warmly and says "And I certainly don't want my best friend up here living alone."

Marina blinks, her eyes tearing up. She smiles, then rushes at Pearl. Marina spins Pearl around in a hug and says "Oh thank you Pearl! I couldn't ask for a better friend!" Pearl laughs in delight and says "Ok, Marina! Thanks, and can you put me down now." Marina sets Pearl down, her eyes still watering.

Pearl smiles at Marina warmly again and says "Come on Marina. Inkopolis awaits." Pearl holds out her hand, and Marina grasps it. As the two walk away, Marina says "Hey Pearlie. Is it ok if we keep me being an Octoling a secret for now? I don't feel comfortable with everyone knowing." Pearl nods and says "If it keeps you happy, then sure thing Marina."

**-Author Notes- **

**I know that this chapter is shorter than the others, but it is very important to the story line. Here is the official time Marina enters Inkopolis, and soon Marina and Pearl will be forming the duo that everyone knows and loves. **


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Weeks have passed, and Squidmas is close at hand. Pearl and Marina are living well. Their gigs were quite popular, but they were still low scale performers. Luckily, no one said anything about Marina's hair.

The other agents haven't changed much. Daniel did have a new career in turf wars. He was getting quite good with his Splat Dualies, and he was climbing the ranks fast. But, despite these happy changes, some things weren't as good.

Callie and Marie were gone from Inkopolis in increasing amounts of time. Callie even got a call and had to take a flight for a film shooting. The others weren't too happy about that one. Probably the one who took it the hardest was Ika. He simply couldn't stand his sister gone for so long at a time. It made him anxious and scared for her safety.

On top of that, the News Station was threatening Callie and Marie with being removed from the show. They say that the two cousins are "Much too busy to keep a regular schedule". Marie didn't like it one bit.

But, despite this, some things were looking up. Callie managed to get a whole week off for the holidays, and she was looking forwards to seeing her family and friends again. She was especially excited for Squidmas. This was the perfect time for a break!

Every agent was waiting at the airport for Callie's arrival. Safe to say that Callie teared up when she saw everyone waiting. She laughed in delight as everyone hugs her all at once. She opens her eyes, but then sees something very wrong.

Amber was standing a little bit away from the group. Her face was blank and she had no smile. But if Callie looked hard enough, she could see a trace of sadness in her eyes. Callie instantly began to wonder what happened since she left.

The group disperses as they all lead Callie out of the airport. Callie leans over to her cousin and says "Marie. What's wrong with Amber?" Marie glances at the yellow inkling and says "No one knows. She has been getting this way lately and she won't say why. Something is clearly upsetting her." Callie looks at Amber in worry at the response.

Deciding to try herself, Callie makes her way forward until she is next to Amber. Putting on a friendly smile, Callie says "Hi Amber! Nice to see you again after all this time." Amber glances at Callie and cracks a small smile. "Nice to see you to."

Callie blinks in surprise. The Amber she knew was never this quite. Marie was right, something was definitely wrong. Callie frowns and says "Something wrong Amber?" Amber frowns slightly and says "No. No need to worry, nothing is wrong." Callie frowns, not convinced.

The two of them leave it at that though and just continue out of the airport. Soon, all of the agents are back in Inkopolis. Callie takes a large sniff of the air. "Ah! I missed this place." Marie smiles and says "I bet you did."

Ika then walks next to his sister, a big grin on his face. "Well sis, wanna go do some catching up?" Callie smiles widely and says "Of course I do!" The agents then all disperse, each of them going their own way.

Callie happens to take a look back to say goodbye, when she notices something kind of concerning. While everyone went in a group (as Marie was with Ika and Callie), Amber went off alone. Callie's smile drops as she notices this.

Callie looks at her relatives and says "Guys, I think I know what's wrong with Amber." Marie looks at Callie in interest. "Oh? Did you now?" Callie nods and says "When we all left, everyone was in a group. There was us. Then there was Clementine, Whinter, and Daniel. Finally was Pearl and Marina. Amber was all alone."

Ika looks back at the lone inkling in worry. "I can see why she is upset now. All of us have people to go to outside of our agency. She has no one, according to what we know." Marie then says "And judging by the way she is acting, it's safe to say she has no one."

Then, looking at her companions with excitement, Callie says "Well, let's show her we are here for her!" Marie looks at her cousin in a little confusion. "How do we do that?" Callie responds with "Well, with a big party of course! Squidmas is less than a week away and no one deserves to be alone."

Callie's smiles lowers as she grows a little more serious. "We can invite the other agents, and even Pearl and Marina. We'd make it the best Squidmas Amber's ever had." Ika grins and says "I like the idea." Marie smiles as well and says "Yes, this could be just the thing Amber needs."

Callie grins and says "Then let's go get started on the planning! We can even host it at our house."

**-Elsewhere-**

Amber wipes away a stray tear that managed to escape her eye. After getting Callie back to Inkopolis, everyone went their separate ways. It was nice being in such a tight knit group, but afterwards, Amber got reminded of her fate.

Even before she came to Inkopolis, Amber has never known her parents. She grew up in an orphanage down by Ceph City, and she was constantly a danger. Her strange ability to use multiple specials in quick succession was a danger for everyone. As such, she never had any friends and the caretakers had to keep her a good ways away.

It wasn't until she came to Inkopolis that she finally fixed her problem. A kind Inkling who hosted the turf wars noticed the problem and gave her a special wristband that made her ability shut off. The inkling called it a "limiter". Amber was very happy.

Sadly, things quickly took a turn for the worst. Her isolated childhood made her very socially awkward. None of the inklings wanted to be friends with 'An unfresh squid'. Amber has been alone ever since she came.

Despite the agency, Amber never could feel at ease. She always left them alone, and her home was empty. She couldn't run away from her problem. Amber growls and says "Why couldn't I have just been hatched without this STUPID ability!?"

Amber smacks the bench she was sitting on in anger. She wipes away her tears. No, she refused to let others see her pain. This was something she dealt with her whole life, and she wouldn't be breaking down now. The yellow inkling gets up, face as blank as a canvas, and walks away.

**-At the Squid Sister Mansion-**

Callie frowns as she looks at the list she had. She looks at the room she was in, then back at the list. Ika walks over to her and asks "Hey. Something wrong?" Callie just makes a noise of frustration.

"I want to get this done by Squidmas Eve. That's tomorrow, and there is still so much to do!" Callie falls over in despair. Ika just looks at his sister in exasperation. "You know, Amber never was one for having a flair to her stuff. She kept things simple, turning the simple into something extraordinary." Callie just groans more.

Then, suddenly, she gets an idea. Callie stands back up suddenly, startling Ika, and says "Yes, that's it! We don't need a big party or anything. We just need to hang out with her. Grab some drinks and snacks, a movie or two, and poof! We have something fun for us all!" Ika smiles nervously and says "Ok then, if you think it'll work."

Marie peaks into the room. "I heard yelling. Did Callie get herself stuck in the oven again?" Callie screams in embarrassment and yells out "MARIE! YOU PROMISED TO NOT TALK ABOUT THAT!" Marie just giggles in response.

Ika looks between the two, his expression very confused. "Oooookkkkkk… With that out of the way, whatever it was, we still need to do some shopping." Callie blinks, her anger and embarrassment instantly gone. "Oh, right." Ika sighs and mumbles to himself "How do you switch between emotions so easily?" Callie just smiles and says "It's a gift." Ika facepalms.

**-At Arowana Mall-**

Ika groans as he hoists up the large bags. It was hard enough moving with all these bags, but the snow and ice made it even harder. Callie, oblivious to her brother's epidemic, simply looks around in excitement. "Oh! I think this would be a good place to go!"

Marie sighs and says "Callie, we are preparing for a hangout, remember?" Callie nods and says "I know, but there is so much to do here!" Ika groans again and says in a strained voice "C-Come on Callie! My arms are k-killing me!" Callie looks back at her brother, who was holding a mountain of bags, and blushes. She responds, embarrassedly, "O-Oh. O-Ok then."

Callie makes her way to the entrance of the mall, and soon the family is on their way home. On the way, Callie brings up something she forgot to mention long ago. "Hey guys." Ika glances at her, and Marie's ears perk up. Satisfied they are listening, Callie says "So, during our mission a few months ago where we met Daniel, I found something cool." Reaching into her bag, Callie pulls out a set of shades.

Ika whistles at the sight of the flashing lights on the shades. "Woah. Those are some seriously fresh shades." Callie nods enthusiastically. "I know! I haven't tried them on yet, and I think I'm going to wait until summer to do it. It would be the perfect time to try them!" Marie smiles and says "I bet they would look cool on stage." Callie nods, grinning widely.

Soon after, their car stops in front of their house. They unpack all the stuff they got from the mall and bring it inside. Luckily, Ika was saved the torture of having to carry it all himself. After setting it all down, Callie seemed satisfied.

Going around to each bag, she says "Movie? Check. Snacks? Check. Drinks? Check. Games? Check." Callie smiles in satisfaction and says "Ok! Everything seems ready." She then glances at the clock and blinks in surprise. "Oh! I can't believe it is already 9:00!" Ika just gets confused. "Only 9? It seemed later."

Marie smiles as she says "Early riser, early sleeper." Callie pouts and says "Yeah! Well, you can't even get up at 11 AM! That's ridiculous!" Ika just smirks and says "I can go to sleep at midnight and get up at 6." Callie and Marie scream, red faced, "NO ONE ASKED YOU!" Ika chuckles nervously. "_Ok! Still scary,"_

Callie shakes her head, then yawns. "Anyways, I'm off to bed. Night guys." Marie and Ika say good night as well. Once Callie leaves, Marie glances at Ika and says "Wanna play some video games?" Ika smirks and says "You're on."

The two sit down and start playing. An hour later, a very cranky Callie walks out. "Hey! I am trying to sleep." Her mind half-asleep, Callie walks back to her room without checking if they listened. Ika and Marie look where Callie went, then at each other. They shrug, and continue playing.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Amber blinks as the morning light hits her eyes. She groans as she stretches, then just lays there. She looks at the clock, sees it is 8, and figures she should get up. Amber gets up and quickly dresses, then goes to get herself something for breakfast.

She sits in silence as she eats her Kelp Oats. She had nothing to do today, even if it was Squidmas Eve, and she wanted to be left alone. So when a knock is heard at her door, she gets irritated.

Grumbling to herself that her morning was interrupted, Amber opens the door. She blinks in surprise when she sees Callie standing there, covered in snow. Amber giggles at her predicament and lets her inside.

Callie shakes herself off over a mat while Amber sits back down at her table. Amber takes a bite, swallows, then says "So, what brings you over Callie?" Callie takes off her jacket and shoes, then sits down.

"Well, I just wanted to talk to you." Amber raises an eyebrow and says "About what?" She then takes another bite.

Callie sighs and thinks back on Marie's plan. "_I don't think she'll like this conversation."_ Callie shakes her head to rid herself of the self-doubt. She took this chance and she won't back down.

Looking at Amber straight in the eyes, Callie says "I need to know why you are acting so strange." Amber gulps down her milk, then sighs. "Is it that obvious?" Callie nods.

The yellow inkling stares into her bowl. After a few minutes of nothing, Amber finally says "I don't like people worrying, but I know you'll worry anyways. The thing is, it gets lonely being by yourself."

Amber looks at the hyper squid and says "I love you guys, I really do, but you can't be there all the time. Whenever we go to do our own thing, I'm reminded that I have no family with me. No one to live with. No one to… make things better."

Callie looks on in clear worry as Amber continues. "I have… an ability. Not one I am proud of either. I can summon non-weapon specials an infinite number of times in short succession. If I wanted, I could unleash a splashdown every second."

Amber lifts her hand and shows the golden bracelet on her wrist. "This is what keeps it in check. With it on, my restrictions on specials are the same as any other inkling. But without it, I could start firing them at any moment since I have no indicator of when they will happen."

Callie looks at the bracelet in curiosity. She thought is was just a fancy wristband. Obviously it was something much more important.

Amber lowers her wrist, and Callie notices tears in the inkling's eyes. Amber sniffs, her voice cracking, and says "I-I… I could never control it. My ability k-kept everyone away from me. B-But I also couldn't make friends in Inkopolis, e-even after I got the limiter."

Amber wipes her tears, trying to keep them at bay. But at this point, she couldn't stop. The dam was broken and she couldn't keep the emotions held in anymore. Her tears increase as she chokes out "I-I became s-so lonely. E-Even the agency c-couldn't help. I just was b-by myself all the time."

The broken inkling sniffs again, wiping her tears. She looks down in embarrassment, her tentacle hiding her face. "I-I sorry you had to see me like this Callie." Callie will probably leave her as well now. Crying like that couldn't be fresh in any way.

But then, Amber felt something tighten around her. Amber glances past her tentacle and is surprised to see Callie next to her, hugging her. "W-What are you doing?" Callie giggles softly and says "It's called a hug. Ever heard of it?"

Amber looks away and says "N-No, I have. But I thought you wouldn't associate yourself with an unfresh squid."

Callie relinquishes her hold and frowns. "Unfresh? Amber, you are one of the freshest squids I know. No one is as brave or strong as you are." Amber just frowns. "If only other inklings thought that."

The popstar shakes her head. "The problem is that stupid materialistic mentality the government has. That's the main issue. In fact, I bet Octolings attack because of that mentality." Amber raises an eyebrow at that, but she doesn't say anything.

Callie smiles warmly at Amber and says "Amber, all of us at the agency, even Pearl and Marina, we all care for you. You don't have to hide any of your pains. If you ever get lonely, come to us. Even Ika would allow you to come. He may not seem like it, but the loneliness does get to him as well."

Amber just stares, wide eyed. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. All this time, she thought of the agency as just another group of friends. Nothing special, just another splatoon in Inkopolis. Thinking back on it now though, she realized she was an idiot for not realizing what made them special. It wasn't just the weapons, it was their bond. The whole agency was more than friends. They were family, HER family.

Amber just couldn't believe that she didn't see this. Although she was good at hiding the pain beforehand. "_I guess I just stopped at one point."_

Callie, interrupting Amber's thoughts, says "I have one more thing for you, but it'll have to wait until tonight. In the meantime, wanna just hang out." Amber smiles back and nods her head. "That would be nice."

**-Time: 6:30 PM-**

"Come on Amber, let's go!" Amber laughs and says "Ok Callie! I'm coming." Amber and Callie were now on their way to the mansion so the party could commence. Of course, Amber had no clue this was the case.

The two inklings round another corner and find themselves in front of the mansion. Callie practically drags Amber inside with excitement. She shoves open the door and Amber tumbles in. She looks around, and she is instantly amazed.

The mansion was covered in all sorts of Squidmas decorations. Callie looks at her in curiosity and says "Oh! You like my decorating?" Amber nods, stars in her eyes. "I love it. Is this what you wanted to show me?" Callie shakes her head. "Nope! I got something better."

Glancing at a clock, Callie says "In fact, they should be here soon." And right on cue, the door behind them opens. Amber turns around, wondering who was here.

Marie smiles, all of the agents behind her, and says "We miss anything?' Callie shakes her head and says "Other than Amber staring at my decorations, no you didn't."

Amber stares at all the agents in surprise. "What's going on here?!" Marina smiles nervously and says "W-Well, Callie wanted to-" "CALLIE WANTED TO SURPRISE YOU WITH A PARTY!" Marina jumps at the interruption. "P-Pearlie!" Pearl smiles sheepishly.

Amber once again is dumbfounded. "W-What?" Ika grins and says "We saw how lonely you looked. We figured a party for you would boost your spirits. Besides, no one should be alone on Squidmas." Daniel mumbles out "Christmas ripoff." Ika elbows Daniel, who in turn jumps.

Amber again is speechless. So much was happening at once, and she couldn't handle it. Then, her face breaks into the biggest grin she's ever had. "I can't believe you'd all do this for me!" Whinter smirks and says "Believe it, cause it is happening right now."

Callie wraps an arm around Amber and says "This was all for you Amber. We wanted you to remember that you are never alone." Amber sniffles, her eyes tearing up again. "I-I'll remember that. I couldn't have asked for anything better."

Clementine punches Amber on the shoulder playfully and says "Well come on then! We have all night to hangout, and tomorrow is Squidmas. We're gonna have the best night of our lives!"

The agents all gather around Amber, and soon they were engaged in a number of activities. Ranging from video games to silly party games. All the while, Amber could be heard laughing in delight. She now knew that she was never truly alone, and it was the best gift she could've asked for.

**-Author Note-**

**Well that was a very emotional chapter. Had me tearing up a little, but I do that a lot. And, next chapter is Squidmas! Expect some big things from the next chapter!**


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Late at night, long after the others went to sleep, three young inklings were talking. "So, how do you think Daniel works?" Marie raises an eyebrow at Amber and says "What do you mean?"

Amber says with a little curiosity "I mean, how is a half-inkling half-human even possible? Aren't the two species, you know, incompatible?"

Ika shrugs, then says "I don't know. Despite our ink and squid forms, we are quite similar to humans. I'd say the main issue would be the squid forms, but Daniel can do that just fine."

Amber nods, but then says "Speaking of squid forms, have you noticed that his ink looks like water?"

Marie nods and says "I did, but when I investigated it, I found it was just a light blue ink. Nothing to be afraid of."

Ika then scoffs and says "Yeah, doesn't stop him from not dying in water. Lucky guy can just climb back out of the sea when he falls in."

Amber laughs at that and says "Oh yeah. Judd had a field day when he saw Daniel fall in and not disintegrate." Amber then recalls something else. "Oh! Have you guys felt his hair? It felt weird. And his hands, they felt rough."

Ika nods. "Yeah, I felt his hair. All those littles strands, they felt kinda rough, but also a little slimy like our tentacles."

Marie then says "And I felt his hands once. His skin did feel kinda rough. I think it had something to do with the little patterns all over his hands." Ika tilts his head in confusion. "Patterns?" Marie shrugs and says "Something to do with how their skin works. Human skin can't stretch well like ours."

Amber then glances at the clock and says "Ouch, 11 o' clock. We should get some sleep. Tomorrow is Squidmas after all." Marie nods and says "This one night only will I go to sleep early." Ika bursts into quiet laughter at that.

Amber switches off the light, and the three inklings go to their respective sleeping areas. The night sounds quickly bring them into deep sleep.

**-Morning: Squidmas-**

Callie yawns and stretches as she feels the morning sun shine through her window. She throws off her blanket, then steps off her bed. She changes quickly, then goes into the hall and makes her way to the kitchen.

As she passes the living room, she can hear soft snoring. She giggles at the sight of her brother stretched out all over the couch, his foot on top of Pearl. Pearl didn't even seem to notice and kept sleeping. Whinter and Clementine were snuggled up on the floor, Marina next to them. Amber was sleeping on the other couch, and Daniel was in a chair.

Keeping quiet and suppressing her glee at the sight of presents under their tree, Callie makes her way to the kitchen. She steps inside the kitchen, satisfied that she didn't wake anyone, then goes to make her special Squidmas breakfast. "_Oh, the others will love this!"_

Back in the living room, everyone was being roused from their sleep. Something smelt delicious, and their minds told their bodies to go get the good food. The first to wake is Ika, and he recoils when he sees his foot snuggled by Pearl.

This action in turn woke up Pearl, who blearily says "Hey! What was that?!" The loud voice wakes up the other inklings, all of them stretching and groaning. Whinter glares at Pearl and says "Why'd you have to go and wake me up for?" Pearl just glares back.

Ika, glad that no one noticed Pearl's weird food cuddling, says "Ima go get changed and washed up." The others make sounds of agreement, and wait. After a few minutes, everyone had changed and washed up, and they all made their way to the dining room.

Callie smiles widely at the assortment of food on the table. There were pancakes, waffles, toast, jam, jelly, and drinks. A pretty simple but delicious breakfast.

Soon after, the group of now-awake inklings enter the dining room. All of them gasp at the food on the table, and Callie's smile widens. She knew they'd like it.

Clementine then says, stunned, "Did you make this Callie?!" Callie nods enthusiastically and says "Yes I did! I hope you like it!"

"Iph lophe it." Marina gasps at Pearl's stuffed cheeks. "Pearl!" Pearl swallows, then says "What? It's food, and food belongs in my belly." Callie sighs and says "Go ahead and eat guys. I'll go wake up Marie."

Callie exits the dining room, the sounds of conversation behind her, and makes her way upstairs. She goes down the hall to the last room and enters it. "Marie? You awake?"

Callie opens the door all the way and is surprised to see Marie sitting on her bed, looking out the window. "Marie! I didn't actually expect you to be awake yet!"

Marie smirks and says "Why'd ya ask then?" Callie blushes and says "It... It's just what you do, ok?!" Marie chuckles at her cousin's embarrassment.

Then, smiling widely, Marie reaches down to the floor. "I got something for you." Marie pulls up a decently sized box wrapped in pink and black wrapping paper. A black bow was sitting on it.

Callie gasps and quickly grabs the present. She rips off the wrapping paper excitedly, Marie laughing at her enthusiasm. Callie then opens the box and gasps again.

She reaches in, and pulls out a pink hoodie. Marie smiles and says "I saw how old your hoodie looks, so I got you a new one. And look, here on the back." Marie points at the back and Callie flips the hoodie over.

On the back was a picture of a bluebird, a symbol that means happiness and energy. Callie couldn't believe that Marie got her something like this.

Callie lunges at Marie, her eyes filled with tears, and hugs her cousin tightly. "Oh thank you Marie!" Marie laughs at Callie's happiness. It was always a joy to see Callie happy like this. "You're welcome Callie!"

The two cousins hold the embrace for a little longer, then Callie pulls away. Smiling widely, Callie says "Let's go see the others. I made breakfast." Marie _ooo_'s and follows Callie, her stomach rumbling.

The two cousins enter the dining room and find everyone chatting. They also saw two plates filled with food. Clementine notices their entrance and says "Hey you two! We saved some food for ya." Saying their thanks, the popstars take a seat and begin eating.

Shortly after, the two let out a content sigh. The food was delicious, as usual, and now it was time for presents. Marie smiles and says "Now let's go open some presents." The others cheer, and they all rush to the living room.

They all circle up and begin opening their respective presents. Each inkling was happy with what they got, but some were more noticeable than the others.

Daniel received a pair of Hero Replica Dualies from Clementine and Whinter. He loved the cool futuristic look of them and thanked them greatly.

Pearl had received a brand new, custom made Killer Wail. It was white in color and had a crown on top, along with their band "Off the Hook"'s logo on the side. Pearl was very excited to use it in turf wars.

After the presents, the group finally disperse to do their own thing. Tonight was the big Squidmas Splatfest, and there were things to do.

Callie smiles at her cousin and says "So Marie, you got me back in the concert?" Marie nods, a smirk on her face. "Of course I did. Those little fanboys of your's would throw a fit otherwise." Callie laughs sheepishly.

Callie then reaches behind her and pulls out another present. It had green and white wrapping, along with a white bow. Callie blushes and says "I didn't know what to get you, but I thought this would be nice."

Marie takes the gift and gently pulls the wrapping off, putting the bow off to the side for later. She opens the box, then gasps in surprise. Inside was a black kimono decorated with gold and gray patterns. It was simple, but that just seemed to add to its beauty.

Pulling the kimono out of the box, Marie examines it fully. The bottom part was more gray than black and had a design of green waves going over a golden sea. Marie smiles, tearing up a little, and says "T-Thank you Callie. It's beautiful."

Callie blushes at the praise, but she still smiles. "I hoped you'd like it. I know how homesick you get sometimes and I thought that this might help."

Marie laughs and says "Oh Callie. I may get homesick, but I can't ever be upset with you and the others around. Nothing can go wrong if we stay together." Marie then leans forwards and embraces her cousin in a heartfelt hug.

Callie returns the hug fully and says "I feel the same way Marie. Nothing can separate us. Nothing."

**-Later at Pearl and Marina's house-**

Pearl sighs in content as she sits on the couch. "Aahhh. Now this is a way to spend Squidmas. Just rest and relaxation with my best bud."

Marina laughs and says "Oh Pearlie, you can't do just that. We do have the concert tonight, don't we?"

Pearl suddenly sits upright and says "Oh right! We won that contest, didn't we?" Marina nods.

The white inkling the suddenly jumps off the couch. "Alright! I got us outfits for tonight too! Come look at this!" Pearl runs off and Marina follows her into Pearl's bedroom.

Pearl opens her dresser and says "Here! These are what I got! Go change and we can see how we look." Marina nods and goes to her room to change.

A minute later, Marina and Pearl are finished. They step out into the hallway and assess each other.

Marina was wearing green, tight-fitting jeans and white sneakers. She also had on a white top and a white headband. Her silver necklace had the unique infinity sign shape of her pupils in it.

Pearl on the other hand was very simple. She had a new and shinier crown on, along with gray sneakers. Her necklace was gold and had her star shaped pupil design in it. She also had on a pink hoodie and a yellow undershirt.

Marina, despite everything else, couldn't help but point out one fact. "Pearl. Why aren't you wearing pants?" Pearl looks down, then shrugs. "Hoodie's big enough. I don't need any."

Marina thinks otherwise, but doesn't say anything. Pearl wouldn't ever be embarrassed by something like that.

The two then wander over to their recording room. Pearl grins as Marina sits in her DJ booth. "So, you almost got the background stuff done for tonight?"

Marina nods and says "It'll be good by tonight. As long as you and me remember our lines, we'll be fine." Pearl pumps a fist into the air. "Sweet! Tonight we'll rock everyone's socks off!"

**-Later-**

Hours have passed and Splatfest was starting soon. All of the agents had gathered in the square to see the concert and celebrate Splatfest. Everyone was wearing their respective team's shirts. Surprisingly, all of the agents chose family. Amber strikes it up as a side effect of the conversation they all had yesterday.

Suddenly, a jingle is heard through the city. All of the inklings stop talking and look up at the large screen above. Callie and Marie step up, each of them in their respective team's color.

"Hold onto your tentacles Inkopolis!" "It's Frostyfest time" Callie smiles and says "You all know how this works. We'll begin with a concert, and then battling can commence!"

Marie smirks at her cousin and says "My friends down their will certainly have a blast beating you."

Callie pouts and says "No way! Family beats friends any day!"

Marie shrugs and just says "Anyways, we'll be starting the concert soon." And ending it off in their typical fashion, the Squid Sisters strike their famous pose. "Stay fresh!" The screen then switches off.

Only a few seconds after, the stage in the square lights up. Beams of pink and green go everywhere, and inklings all over are cheering. Soon after, Callie and Marie walk on stage.

Callie jumps and waves to everyone "Hello everybody! You ready to rock tonight?!" The inklings break into cheers.

Marie smiles and says "We'll begin the concert like normal, but we also have a special event at the end before Calamari Inkantation. Two special guests won the singing competition and will be performing tonight with us!" The crowd breaks into more cheers. A new band was always fun to see.

**-Songs in order (For those who wanna know)-**

**Ink Me Up**

**Now or Never!**

**City of Color**

**Maritime Memory**

Afterwards, the music picks up, and the concert starts. Everybody dances to the rhythm, all of the inklings having a glorious time. It seemed too soon that Maritime Memory ends and the Squid Sisters speak again.

Callie bows to everyone and says "Thank you for listening! But as promised, we have our winners performing before the last song."

Marie nods and says "That's right. And some of you may already know this duo. Give it up for, 'Off the Hook'!" The crowd cheers as Pearl and Marina bounce onstage, each one of them beyond excited for tonight.

Pearl holds a microphone up to her mouth and, careful not to be too loud, yells out "Heyo everybody! Off the Hook here ready to rock your socks off!" Pearl strikes a pose as she speaks.

Marina, much more calmly than Pearl, says "We'll be playing a new song that we made specially for tonight. I hope you all will like it." The Squid Sisters then walk off stage, and Marina walks back to a DJ booth set up for her.

**-Song: Fly Octo Fly-**

With a quick flick of her turntable and a few knobs twisted, an upbeat song starts up. Putting a hand to her mouth, Marina sings out "Woah-oh-oh Oh-oah-oh!" Pearl then yells out "Oh yeah!"

The process repeats some, until Marina begins singing instead of chanting.

The crows cheers in delight at the song. It was very upbeat and fast-paced, just like how most inklings liked it. They all waved their glow sticks around, all of them enjoying the music almost as much as the Squid Sisters's.

After some more verses and chanting, the song eventually fades out. Marina takes in a deep breath, then bows. The singing always took a toll on her. Pearl smirks at the audience and says "Did we rock you away or not?" The crowd cheers back with a big "YES!"

Marina smiles and says "Thank you all for listening. Enjoy the rest of your Splatfest!" The crowd cheers again as Pearl and Marina move off stage.

Callie and Marie then walk out, each of them smiling and clapping. Callie smiles even wider and says "Now was that a performance or what?!"

Marie smiles and says "It certainly was a good song. But I hope you all have time for one more song!" The crowd cheers in delight. This was the moment almost all of them were waiting for.

_**Now we must be strong**_

_**Together we will sing this song**_

_**And you can sing along!**_

_**Callie, Marie, we're one and two and you all make three!**_

_**So sing harmony and together we shall see where we belong!**_

The uproar was immense as Calamari Inkantation starts. This was a fan favorite for a majority of Inkopolis. Everyone loved this song.

Pearl and Marina wave to their friends as they join them. Clementine smiles and says "That was some great sining Marina!" Marina blushes and says "Thank you."

Whinter smirks at Pearl and says "And that rapping was rad, yo!" Pearl smirks back and raps back "_Well you wanted to see a big show. So we brought the Off the Hook flow!"_ Whinter laughs and fist bumps Pearl.

Amber then says "I think we should all dance now. This is the last song." The group nods and each of them grab a dancing partner. Amber goes with Ika, Clementine with Whinter, and Daniel manages to grab Pearl. Marina was content with simply listening

The night continues on and the song seemed to last an eternity for Marina. She just couldn't stop from being drawn into the song. It seemed almost, magical. She giggles at the silly thought. It was just a good song, nothing more. But magic or not, it was a great way to end off Squidmas.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

A couple weeks have passed since the big Squidmas celebration. Callie sadly had to leave once more, leaving his cousin and brother behind. She would return in one week, in enough time to announce the final Splatfest. Pearl and Marina gained a lot of popularity from the concert and they were becoming the talk of the city.

During this last week before Callie's return, many things were brewing. Right under the Inklings' noses, devious plans were being hatched.

A lone Octoling roams around the deep base that served as the Octarian HQ. Her name was Octari, and she was the one who had helped Octavio free. She was an Octoling elite now, her seaweed wrapped around her goggles instead of being in her tentacles.

She nods to a few Octarians her and there, but she doesn't break her pace. Octavio had called her to his workshop, and she knew something was big. Octavio never called someone while he was working unless it was important.

Octari takes a right, just before the large doors that went to the Octo king's throne room. She continues along the corridor and enters a much larger room through a set of double doors. The room was filled with various electrical equipment and mechanical parts. And in the center was a large DJ booth mech, being repaired and upgraded by its pilot.

Octavio turns around, putting down the blowtorch in his hands. Octari still found Octavio's humanoid form unnerving. Even though his octopus form was massive, she still expected a normal sized adult inkling. But no, Octavio was very different.

He was at least around 6' 7'' and towered over the much younger Octolings. His body, despite being well over 100, was extremely fit and toned. His muscles bulged as he worked on his projects. Octari could see some logic there since he carried heavy metal parts all the time. He would need those muscles. He also had a short beard and mustache, adding to his menacing looks.

He had also thrown aside his royal attire, settling for a more practical t-shirt and pants. Octari blushed slightly at the fit body, even though said body was an old man.

Octavio raises an eyebrow at his right-hand commander. "You done staring, Commander?" Octari's blush deepens when she realises she was caught staring. She quickly stands to attention.

Octavio laughs at the reaction his subordinate gave him. It always gave him a kick to mess with his people. Octavio smirks and says "Now that you have finished looking, we have business to do."

Octari salutes and says "Yes, my lord." Octavio smiles and says "Now that is the loyalty I like to see. Someone ready to go at a moment's notice."

Octavio then crosses his arms, his expression going back to his normal glare. "If my plan is to be ready by the deadline, we need those ink squirts to stay out of this. I want you to go to Octo Canyon and see what those agents are doing."

Octari nods and says "Yes, my lord. But if you don't mind me asking, is there anything else that is required?" Octavio goes to say no, then stops.

Now that he thinks back on it, he has noticed quite a few of his Octolings disappearing. It was troubling, and Octavio wanted to know who did it. No doubtedly it was those blasted ink twerps.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is one more thing. See if you can find any information on the missing Octolings. The number is growing, and it is getting worrisome." Octari salutes, then heads out to get her gear.

Octavio turns around and grabs his blowtorch. He goes to continue repairing his mech, when his gaze lingers to the fists on it. He had added gold knuckles to make it look cooler, but the plates were blank. He was at a lost as to what to put on them. But the topic of missing octolings made up his mind.

Octavio grabs one of his high-powered ink jets used specifically for cutting into metal. He turns on the ink jet and gets to work. It only took him a few minutes, but Octavio is proud of his work. The left fist said "Dead" and the right said "Fish". Octavio puts a hand on the fist and says "Don't worry Shara, I'll keep our daughter's memory alive."

**-With Octari-**

It took Octari only a few minutes to grab her Octoshot and armor and get moving. She exited the Cephalon HQ and hopped into a kettle that led straight to the surface, the only one far enough from Inkopolis to not be sealed off.

Octari re-emerges from the kettle and she quickly moves across the floating platforms littering the canyon. She ignores the patrolling Octarians and continues on. As she moves, she notices that the Octarians were closer to Inkopolis than before. "_The plan must be getting close if we are this close."_

Soon after though, the Octarians are completely gone. As Octari moves her way up the canyon and onto Tentakeel Outpost, the same sector as the Cuttlefish Cabin. Octari moves much more cautiously now. There was no telling what could be waiting.

Octari moves silently about, trying to see if any of the agents were present. But as she gets closer to the little Calamarian shack, she hears something. It sounded like, singing. Curious as to what was happening, Octari moves closer to the source.

She peers around the corner of the archway she was hiding behind. And there, right in front of her, was Marie. She had on the kimono Callie gave her and a prop umbrella. She was dancing and singing, and Octari was drawn into the song.

**(Credit to LizzieBiz for these lyrics)**

_**I think back to everything**_

_**When I had you here.**_

_**It was only you and me,**_

_**Then you disappeared.**_

The song was powerful. Octari, despite being a well disciplined soldier, couldn't help but tear up slightly. The song was extremely upsetting, and it seemed to strike a chord in Octari's heart.

_**Was there more I could've done to make you stay?**_

_**I wonder every day.**_

_**But what could I say?**_

_**You had to go away.**_

Octari couldn't keep back her tears. The song was pulling at Octari's heart more and more. It reopened wounds she thought she healed long ago.

And then, suddenly, a new voice joins in. She was startled by the sudden voice and looks over to its source. It appeared to be another inkling. He had jet black tentacles that fell down his back and ended in red. He had on a black kimono decorated with a golden sky with red clouds. He bore a strong resemblance to Marie. Marie continues with the verse, the other inkling singing alongside her.

_**When the tide goes out**_

_**And the sea falls out of sight**_

_**I hope it finds you.**_

_**In the dark of night**_

_**When the moon is in the sky**_

_**Do you see it to?**_

Octari could do nothing more than stare at the duo. She has heard Marie sing with Callie before, but this was new. This song and Marie's partner were never on the recordings the Octolings have of the Squid Sisters. Who was he, and why were they singing such a sad song?

Then, Octari remembers something. One of her fellow Octolings had boasted about being the one to deliver a package to Callie. She also remember something about mind control being included.

Octari knew how much the Squid Sisters meant to each other. If one was to disappear, the other would go nuts looking for them. All Octolings knew this, and she bet Octavio knew this too. Octari frowns as she puts the facts together. "Octavio, this is a new low. You know how much they love each other. This'll destroy them completely."

Suddenly, the singing stops. Octari snaps back to attention and notices that Marie was simply staring forwards. The other inkling, the male, had disappeared. Octari growls, then falls into an ink trail left by old Octarian forces. She quickly makes her way back to the floating platforms leading to Cephalon HQ. She never notices the shadow watching her depart.

Ika turns back to Marie and says "Should I go after her?" Marie shakes her head. "No, leave her be. She did no harm in coming here and learned nothing of value. In fact, I think the song may have worked."

Ika frowns at that. "I'm not sure. I know our family was blessed with powerful singing, but I've never done it before." Marie smiles and says "That's because you've never done it in a duet before."

The green inkling then walks towards the grate leading to Inkopolis. "Now let's go back." Ika jogs to catch up with his cousin. "How'd you even know that an Octoling was coming anyways?"

Marie looks back, then smiles. "I didn't" She turns into her squid form and falls into the pipe. Ika scratches his head, then shrugs. He turns into his squid form and heads back to Inkopolis as well.

**-Cephalon HQ-**

Octari turns back into her humanoid form after exiting the kettle. She couldn't stay in the canyon after the mysterious inkling disappeared. He may have captured her and interrogated her. She would not let that happen.

Octari moves back into the main building of Cephalon HQ and makes her way to the workshop Octavio was currently in. She needed to talk to him.

She stops in front of the double doors and knocks. "Enter," she hears a loud voice boom. She enters the workshop and once again finds her king working on his mech.

Octavio looks back at the Octoling and frowns when he sees Octari there. "Octari, it had been barely 20 minutes. Why are you back so soon?"

Octari bows and says "I was spying on the agents as requested, when one suddenly disappeared. Fearing I may have been discovered, I quickly made my way back. No one followed."

Octavio frowns even deeper at this. "_It must've been Craig's grandson. He had a knack for disappearing." _Octavio waves her off and says "Nothing that could be done about that. Anything else you needed to tell me Commander Octai?"

Octari shifts slightly, then says "Yes, but I want this to be done as family, not army officials." Octavio's blowtorch shuts off suddenly, and it slams on the ground. Octavio glares at Octari and says "We have been through this. I am not your family while I still rule. I cannot have favorites."

Octari frowns in fear, but she wants to continue. "Then speak in formal terms, but I need to talk about this. This is about our family."

Octavio glares a little longer, then sighs. "Damn hipsters these days can't figure out the meaning of no. Fine! What do you need." Octavio walks over and sits in front of his grandniece.

Octari looks up at her grand uncle and says "Uncle, why are you trying to hurt the Squid Sisters in this way." Octavio frowns and crosses his arms. "What do you mean Octari?"

Octari levels her king with a steel gaze. "Why are you trying to seperate them. I know you are trying with those shades you gave her."

The Octo King growls at this. "Who told you about that?!" Octari replies "I over heard it from the soldier assigned with the task of delivering them." Octavio growls and says "That was top secret Octema. You may have ruined this."

Octari glares at Octavio and says "I can't believe you would try something this diabolical. I understand your need for revenge on the inklings, but you of all people should know what it feels like when I loved one disappears. No way of knowing if they are dead or alive. It can hurt more than their death being true."

The older octopus glares for a little while, but then his gaze falls. "It isn't just me. If I had a choice, I wouldn't do something like that. It is too much, and you are right when you say I know. But the council won't allow anything else."

Octavio gets startled when he feels something wrap around his torso. He looks down wide eyed and sees his grandniece hugging his stomach tightly, her eyes filled with tears. "Then ignore them! You are the king, you should be able to ignore them! I don't want to see those squids hurt that badly."

Octavio sighs, then kneels down in front of the 17 year old inkling. He looks into those hopeful and hurting eyes, his own filled with regret and tiredness. "You know I can't do that Tari." Octari blinks at Octavio's use of her nickname.

Octavio looks down, collecting his thoughts. He then looks back up and says "The council is much more popular then I am. I only rule because of my music, a device they made. They can control me any time they wanted, and I have to do as they say or else… dire consequences will fall."

Octari stares in shock at the information. She then sniffs, and nods. "If it really is like that, then I'll help. But… try not to hurt the Squid Sisters too much. It's too harsh for them."

Octavio stands back up and says "I can't promise you that. But I can promise that I won't kill them. They are the two squids I refuse to kill." "_I made a promise to you after all, Craig."_

Octari nods again and stands back up. She seemed to be content with the answer. "O-Ok. I'll take my leave now, my lord." Octavio nods, then turns around as the Octoling leaves. The old king sighs and says "I am much too old for this nonsense. I gave up revenge long ago, but those idiotic council members won't give up. I hope you can forgive me for this Craig." Octavio then begins working on his mech once more.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

The Splatfest between Marie and Callie had started. The event was a massive hit, and all of the inklings were eager to pick sides. Even the Octarians managed to get a radio broadcast of the event. They were all picking sides, each of them enjoying the Squid Sisters as much as the inklings.

Octavio though, he doesn't like it one bit. He knows how close those cousins are, but this'll serve to drive them further apart. Even the most stable relationships can fall apart. Octavio sighs and says "It isn't my business what those hipsters do anyways. I got a mech to finish." With a swing of his crimson cape, the Octo King walks off.

The other agents weren't to happy with this Splatfest either. It seemed to try and pit the loving cousins against each other on a scale much larger than the friendly Splatfest battles. They could only wonder what'll happen to the loser.

Callie and Marie on the other hand had no quarrels with each other. Each cousin picked their counterpart for their side. Callie picked Marie's side, and Marie picked Callie's side. It seemed only right to do it.

But along with this new Splatfest, more news was stacking up. Rumors of strange sounds coming from the old metro station had begun circulating, but no one cared enough to investigate. At least, not at first.

Amber was curious, and she managed to rope Cuttlefish into investigating. They went into the abandoned metro, but they were met with a sealed off door, nothing else. They did take note of the never-before-seen symbol of two wavy lines on top of each other.

Pearl and Marina were also at large. The duo now had full on concerts, gaining almost as many fans as the Squid Sisters. Some even thought they would be the 'next' Squid Sisters. The duo wasn't sure what to think about that.

But even with these good times, evil can still stir. And deep within the underground, right within Octavio's palace, evil was gathering for a destructive plan.

**-Cephalon HQ-**

The doors to the council's chambers swing open as Octavio strides in. He looks up at all the council members, each of them younger than himself. Octavio often wondered how a group younger than their king could gain more power.

The head Octoling frowns at Octavio. "We have yet to hear anything about the plan Octavio. The city is running out of power, and your deadline is coming soon."

Octavio nods and says "Don't worry Octavius. I have everything under control. In fact, one of my subordinates has said that our target will put on the shades this summer. It will be a prime time to start our plan."

Octavius doesn't stop frowning. "Then hope that she was correct in that information Octavio. You wouldn't want to lose any information on your daughter, would you?" Octavius then holds a piece of paper in front of him, taunting Octavio with it.

Octavio's hands clench up and shake in barely controlled anger. Octavius said he found out something important about his daughter. Supposedly, she had disappeared instead of dying and Octavius found out where she was. Octavio would do anything for that information, but he was beginning to have second thoughts.

That fiend Octavius would stop at nothing to get revenge on the inklings and become the supreme ruler of all species. He was driven by power-lust and it caused him to become a dictator of the worst sorts. Octavio wouldn't be surprised if Octavius was lying to get him, but there was another problem.

Octavio's gaze drifts to the large red button on Octavius's desk, far enough away to not get pressed by accident. If Octavio didn't do as the council said, then they would press that button. The button would activate the large speakers all around Cephalon HQ and start playing a single single note would fry Octavio's mind specifically, and the other Octolings would become mindless slaves. It was not something Octavio wanted.

Octavius coughs and Octavio is ripped from his thoughts. Octavius then says "That is all Octavio. Dismissed." Octavio nods and walks out, watching as Octavius fiddled with the parchment in his hands.

**-Inkopolis-**

The splatfest was now 24 hours in and one day was left. After this day, the splatfests would be over until the next season. This news only served to make the inklings even more wild about it.

Callie and Marie were standing in the turf war lobby, looking for a match to do. Since they don't perform until tonight and the stages were set, the two cousins could afford time to do some turf wars.

Callie glances at her cousin nervously, a green and white E-liter 4k Scope resting on her shoulders. "Are you sure about this Marie? You know I'm not the best with a charger."

Marie waves her off, a pink and black Krak-On Splat Roller in her hands. "Don't worry Callie. We're here to have fun, not win. I could care less about the Splatfest, but this would be a prime time for your idea."

Callie laughs slightly, her nervousness still showing. "Yeah, I know. I just wanted to see how well we do with each other's weapons. But I am having second thoughts now."

Marie laughs and says "Don't worry Callie. As long as you kept practicing, I'm sure you'll do fine with my charger.

Callie puffs her cheeks out and says "But I don't like its sub and special! The ink storm isn't that strong." Marie shrugs and says "Don't underestimate the ink storm. It can splat quite easily." Callie mumbles, but she doesn't say anything out loud.

A sudden ding is heard and the orange inkling at the desk says "Callie and Marie! Your match is ready. Please go to room 12." The cousins get up and do as instructed, ready for their first turf war in a while.

The second the pair enters, they are almost instantly mobbed by the other inklings. "Wow! It's really the Squid Sisters!" "I can't believe we get to play with them!" "Can I have your autograph?!" "Hey, why are their weapons switched?"

That last statement made the talking die down. The other inklings look at the two and notice that they did have their weapons switched. The inklings then begin mumbling, wondering what was going on.

Marie smiles at the inklings and says "We figured since we picked the other side, we would switch weapons. I am essentially Callie for a day." Callie tilts her head slightly. "I wouldn't put it like that Marie."

The inklings nod and go sit down. As cool as it was that they get to play with the Squid Sisters, they still wanted to play soon. And the last inkling, another stranger, soon made his way in. Callie sits on the green side and Marie on the pink. The pipe above them activates and the teams are brought to their respective sides.

Callie holds her charger nervously, her confidence at a new low without Marie around. One of the inklings notice this and smiles at her. "Don't worry Callie! Just stay back and pick off any of the front lines. Your sister might even be a prime target for you." Callie gulps but nods, smiling at the advice.

A whistle blows and the teams take off, instantly covering the ground as much as possible. Marie uses the vertical swings of the roller to get to the center as fast as possible, obviously eager to try out her new weapon.

Marie swims forwards quickly, only popping out of her ink to swing once more. And once she is in the center, she instantly begins turfing as much as possible. She wanted to build up her Kraken special as soon as possible so she had something to fall back on.

It wasn't long before another inkling was in the center. Equipped with an Octobrush, he was also quickly covering the ground. And his fast swings were extremely dangerous to Marie. Marie tried to keep her distance and use vertical swings to splat the inkling, but he was too fast. After he got in close, the inkling splatted Marie before she could put the roller down.

As Marie respawns and continues back to the front line, Marie sighs. "This is harder than Callie made it look." She doesn't dwell on it and just continues covering some turf.

For Callie, things weren't much better. Despite the advice her teammate gave her, she just couldn't get many splats. Her aim was off and she had an urge to move around and take new positions. This constant movement threw off the enemy, but also her teammates who were trying to defend her.

After one close shot by Callie, a pink inkling decided to take her out. The inkling was wielding a set of Splat Dualies. She used her high mobility to avoid enemy fire and get up to Callie's position. With a few shots to her back, Callie was sent to her spawn.

Callie humphs and looks around in anger. "I just can't use this thing! How does Marie do it?!" She sighs and hops back into an ink trail. No sense in complaining when a game is going on.

This pattern of testing and splatting continued for the duo. Neither of them did well, Marie only coming out above Callie because of the lower skill level needed for the roller. Callie was extremely upset about her team's loss.

The two meet each other in the lobby and begin talking, but it wasn't long before they hear other inklings talk about them. "Did you see how Callie and Marie did today?" "Yeah. It wasn't nearly as good as I thought." "Hmph. If they can't do turf wars, then what's the point of having them around."

The last comment shocked the girls. It was almost as if the inklings only liked them because of their turf war abilities. It was not something they expected, but the talking continued.

"Come on Tyler, you can't say that! They tried their best and that's what counts." "Say what you will Lizzie, but an inkling who can't fight is useless. Everyone know that." "You sound like we are going to have another war or something!" "You never know with those blasted Octarians still around."

Callie at this point was sniffling to herself, the comments taking her off guard. They've gotten hate before, but this brought out a new level of simple-minded evil that the two have never seen before.

Marie on the other hand was furious. This kid acted like fighting was the only thing that mattered! You can't have a proper society with only fighting and strength! It just wasn't right.

The glares she was sending must've been felt, because the offending inkling looks back at her.

The inkling had green tentacles in a slicked back fashion. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and shorts, along with a set of shades. He sneers at Marie and says "Get out of here, you worthless trash. Singing is all you'll ever be good for."

Something in that sentence caused Marie to snap. She screams in rage and charges down the inkling. If not for Callie holding her back, she might've rammed him over. Callie struggles to keep her back and says "C-Come… on Marie! Ignore him."

Marie keeps struggling, and it was obvious that she wouldn't stop. With some effort, Callie is able to drag Marie out of the lobby. The other inklings around had watched, but most didn't comment. Since it didn't involve them, they didn't care. One however, did see and did care.

Pearl was gritting her beak almost to the point of it piercing her gums. She was filled with barely contained rage at what that inkling had said to Marie. No one did that to her friends and got away with it!

Pearl stomps up to the green inkling, Tyler, and yells out "Hey! What do you think you're doing to my friends!" Tyler glances back in irritation at being interrupted again. He frowns when he sees Pearl walking up.

"Oh, it's you. The little pygmy squid who thinks she can hit it big. Face it child, you only got this far because of that Marina, and her only because of her body." Pearl was practically fuming at his point, Tyler watching in disinterest.

This guy DARED to mock not only Callie and Marie, but also her and Marina?! This was too far. Pearl shoves a finger in Tyler's face and says "Listen here asshole! You, me, 1v1 on Camp Triggerfish right now!"

Tyler glares at the finger in his face and shoves it aside. "I don't have time for your silly games. You aren't worth my time." Tyler turns away and walks to another match.

Pearl on the other hand was clenching her fists so hard they drew blood. This guy was the worst sort of inkling she's ever seen! And judging by the fact that the other inklings were ignoring them, this was a typical manner. Something needed to be done about this! Sadly for Pearl, that usually meant beating the offender into submission.

Too angry to take on any other turf wars, Pearl storms out of the lobby. The other inklings glance at the now famous rapper, but otherwise ignored her. They had other things to do. Pearl, not wanting to deal with these selfish inklings, goes over to the Octo Canyon grate and hops in.

When Pearl pops out of the pipe, she was instantly greeted with a sight that startled her greatly. All over the outpost was Octarian ink. The only place that didn't have any was the Calarmarian hut and the pipe itself.

Pearl grimaces at the ink everywhere, wondering how she'd get out of this situation. She knew of only one option and dials up Marina.

Marina was taking a day of rest during the Splatfest. She had nothing to do today and she was taking advantage of that. But then her phone rings suddenly. Answering the call, she says "Hello?"

"Heya Marina. I need you down in Octo Canyon pronto. Bring my blaster if you can." Marina goes to ask more, but then the call ends. Marina shakes her head at Pearl's antics, but then starts wondering what was going on. Pearl wasn't in trouble, was she? Suddenly worried at the thought, Marina doubles her pace.

It takes only a couple minutes to get to the Octo Canyon. After Marina hops into the pipe and pops out in the canyon, she can see the problem. Pearl was off to the side frowning, staring out at the sea of Octarian ink. Marina looks around as well and says "What happened here?"

Pearl shrugs and says "No clue. But I didn't have a weapon or a Squee-G on me to fix this up, so I kinda needed you to help, since you are an Octarian and all." Marina nods and steps into the ink.

Unlike the inklings, she could walk around just fine in the ink. She makes her way around and wonders why the ink hasn't dissolved yet. She continues past the archway and enters the area that holds the kettles. There she finds the problem.

In the middle of the area, where the boss kettle was normally, was a large machine. The Claimer, the Octarians called it. It was a simple box-like machine with a large nozzle on top. It sprayed ink around itself, the ink flowing around and covering as much area as possible. The area around the Claimer was a lake of ink.

Marina frowns at this. The Claimer had no use being here, and it wasn't dangerous to the agents since it can't get up to the pipe. So why was it here? Marina falls into the ink pool and makes her way across to the machine.

She pulls herself on top and wipes off the ink on her. She goes to turn the machine off, when something stops her. A low beeping could be heard, just barely audible to Marina. And since Octolings could hear specific sounds Inklings can't, she doubted that an Inkling could hear that low of a note.

Marina tries to find the source of the beeping, then figures that it is coming from inside. She opens the maintenance panel on the machine and looks at its insides. It was filled with orderly wires and a large ink tank in the center, one that was still half full. It could run for another day if it was left on. But that wasn't what interested Marina.

She looks over at the mechanism that controls the machine's power and frowns. The power core was poorly connected to the machine and was issuing a warning sound, the beeping Marina heard. Marina grabs the wires and carefully connects them properly.

"_What could those engineers be thinking? That kind of wiring would cause the machine to blow up instantly if it was attempted to be turned off. Plus, why would they waste one of their precious power cores on this?" _Marina pulls back out of the machine and turns it off, filing the info away for a later date.

As the ink begins to finally dissolve, Marina makes her way back to the shack. By the time she gets there, the ink was completely gone. Pearl looks at Marina and says "So, you find what caused it?"

Marina nods and says "It was an Octarian machine that spews ink everywhere. It could have gone on for another day if I hadn't stopped it." Pearl flinches and says "Ouch. That's a lot of ink." Marina nods.

"But there is one thing I don't understand." Pearl tilts her head in curiosity, her arms crossed. Marina continues with "The way the machine was wired, it would've blown up if I had turned it off without checking it first."

Pearl growls and says "Sounds like they were trying to take us out with it! I bet they wanted an inkling to turn it off and go KABLOOEY!" Pearl threw her arms into the air for emphasis.

Marina frowns, her eyes filled with worry. "Why would they do that though? I thought this was all behind us."

Pearl raises an eyebrow at Marina. "Wouldn't you know something, being an Octoling n' all."

Marina shakes her head. "I just built the machines. I wasn't involved in the plans or anything. In fact, I never once saw the agents that took back the zapfish."

Pearl shrugs and says "Ah well, you fixed it. Now we can enjoy the rest of the Splatfest." Marina nods and says "That sounds good. I'll tell the others a different day." Pearl nods and hops back into the pipe, Marina following.

**-Elsewhere-**

Marie had her head in her hands, constantly shaking it. "No no no no. I've never acted like that before." Callie tries to comfort Marie, but she isn't sure how.

"It's ok. That guy was just a big bully." Marie shakes her head more and says "No, I've never snapped like that. It's just… he reminded me too much of him."

Callie frowns and says "You mean Konton?" Marie nods. Callie hugs her cousin and says "Don't worry Marie. Konton is in Calamari County and he won't ever come back."

Marie looks up finally, tears in her eyes. Callie actually gasps slightly at that. She's never seen Marie cry. Never.

Marie wipes her eyes and says "But he reminds me so much of him. The same arrogant attitude, the same selfish desires, the same need to destroy. That inkling will bring nothing but trouble."

Callie pats her back and says "Come on Marie. I doubt you'll see that inkling again. Why don't we get ready for the concert. I'm sure that'll help." Marie nods and gets up numbly, following her cousin to the studio.

It was only a couple hours later before the concert started. And Callie was right, it did take Marie's mind off of things. She could never stay upset when she was dancing and singing with her cousin like this. And tonight, since it was their last Splatfest, the Squid Sisters had a surprise.

After Maritime Memory ended, Callie and Marie bow to the audience. Callie then says "Thanks so much for listening!" Marie smiles and says "But since tonight is our last Splatfest, we'll end it off with a song that was whipped up for us by Off the Hook!" The crowd breaks into cheers at that.

Marie points off stage and says "Please welcome our special guests, Pearl and Marina!" The crowd erupts into cheers as the duo practically runs on stage. Pearl had a massive smirk on her face and Marina was standing behind her DJ booth.

Marina smiles and says "This song is a mix of our own Ebb & Flow, and the Squid Sisters' Calamari Inkantation! We like to call it the Ebb & Flow Inkantation!" The crowd cheers slightly, but quickly goes quite again.

The beat starts up and soon the song is going. Callie and Marie dance around, singing their parts, while Pearl and Marina throw in some remixes and rapping. It was a fun time for all of them. Even the scowling green inkling in the back couldn't stop the fun they were having.

**-Author Notes-**

**And thus ends probably the biggest event in Splatoon history, in game terms. Oh, by the way. I was hoping if I could get some reviews? It helps me know if I am doing good, or if there is something I should fix up. I am running solo on this, and I would like to hear what you all have to say! Thanks for reading.**


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**-4 months later: June-**

Green eyes stare at a large screen. On it was a lone inkling, her long tentacles tied into a bow. She had on her casual clothes and forgot her sunglasses at home. She was reaching into her bag and taking out a set of black shades, lights flashing across the lenses. The eyes narrow as the inkling goes to put them on.

Callie doesn't think much when she puts the shades on. It was a bright summer day and she's had these shades for a long time. But when her head starts getting dizzy and she gets off balance, she knew something was wrong. She tries to take the shades off, but then falls, unconscious.

As Callie is surrounded by Octolings on all sides, the eyes narrow in satisfaction. "It is time."

Word quickly spread of Callie's disappearance. The police force instantly went to work on trying to find her, but they could find no clues. Cap'n Cuttlefish and Amber went on another expedition to Octo Canyon to try and find her, but they were gone longer than what was expected.

Pearl and Marina were very upset, but they couldn't let the public see that. As replacements for the Squid Sisters in the new station, it was important to keep the young inklings happy and away from worry. Or so said the management.

Clementine, Whinter, and Daniel had been on a trip to Calamari County when the news was announced. Daniel wanted to see his family again, but he was reluctant to go alone. Clementine and Whinter volunteered to go with him.

The two who took it the hardest were Marie and Ika. Marie had fallen into a depression, her spark of life dimming. She quit her jobs and began hiding from the public eye, often staying within the Cuttlefish cabin for hours on end. No one could coax her out of this mood.

But with Ika, it was worse. He completely secluded himself from society. It was a rarity to ever see him, and when you did, it wasn't pretty. He was often blank-faced and emotionless, but when people spoke of Callie, his anger reached its max instantly. He actually attacked an inkling for speaking ill of Callie.

It wasn't long before Callie's disappearance was blocked by more troubling news. The Great Zapfish was gone, again! With it gone, the city would lose power and turf wars would become too dangerous. The inklings weren't happy, but they at least understood.

This event caused Marie to at least somewhat snap out of her delusions. With Callie and the Great Zapfish disappearing at the same time, Marie knew something was up with the Octarians. A quick scouting around showed that they did have the stolen zapfish. She wanted to go solo, but she needed help.

**-Inkopolis-**

Marie moves quietly, her sandaled feet making almost no noise on the ground. She was in the ruined section of Inkopolis, the one barricaded away from the other inklings. Marie knew she needed Ika's help, but she was worried about how he'd react.

Stepping in front of the run-down studio, Marie knocks two times. A special code for the agents so Ika knew who was there. Marie hears some rustling behind the door, and soon it opens just a crack.

Ika's single eye pears out from the door, nothing else seen. "What." Marie frowns at the apathetic tone in his voice, but continues on.

"Ika, I need your help. I know who took Callie." Ika's eyes widen and she can see his rage die as quickly as it rose up. He opens the door fully and says "Why do you need me."

Marie looks at Ika, his clothing and appearance in surprisingly good shape for being so depressing. "Gramps and 3 are gone still, along with Blue, Orange, and 4. Pearl and Marina don't know about the whole agent thing, so that leaves you."

Ika stares for a bit, then closes the door. Marie's stares in disappointment at the closed door, then goes to turn away. "Stop Marie."

Marie's head snaps up and she turns around. Ika was there in his hero gear, an inkbrush in his hands. He still doesn't make any emotions, but Marie could hear a slight excitement. "Let's go get Callie."

Marie cracks a small smile and nods. The two walk away and quickly go through Inkopolis and to Octo Canyon. Marie still had her kimono on, which caused Ika to look at her quizzically. She says "Someone needs to do recon. I can scan maps and possible locations of the Octarians." Ika shrugs.

Marie pulls out a device and says "Ok. We first need to get some zapfish back." Ika scowls and says "I came to get Callie back, not save some fish."

Marie glares at Ika and says "Ika, I know you want to get Callie. I want to as well, but we also need to get those zapfish. Inkopolis will lose power without them." Ika growls, but doesn't say anything. He simply moves past the archway and jumps into the first kettle.

Ika pops out onto the typical floating platforms that are thrown about in the canyon. He makes quick work of the Octarians in his path, ruthlessly and efficiently. Marie almost felt bad for the Octarian regulars that had to deal with him.

Ika breaks open the light bulb shaped prison that held the zapfish. It screams in fear at the inkling, but it doesn't resist. Ika simply super jumps back to Marie.

Marie takes the zapfish from Ika and says "Alright, I'll put this guy somewhere safe. For now, go and look in the boss kettle. I am getting a strong reading from it." Ika nods and quickly makes his way to the kettle. With a loud blast of steam, the kettles shoots Ika to the boss arena below.

Ika lands on the platform below him with extreme grace. He stands on the jump pad and super jumps over to the boss arena. He looks around to try and find something, taking little notice of the large pool of Octarian ink in the center. Suddenly though, a zapping noise could be heard.

Ika looks up and sees a light bulb with a zapfish inside being lowered down. The zapfish seemed fine and was looking around curiously. Then, a large tentacle appears within the ink. A very familiar green X was on the tentacle.

Ika growls and tries to stop the tentacle from grabbing the zapfish. He knows what that tentacle meant and he wasn't going to let one activate. Sadly, he was too slow. The tentacle breaks through the glass and pulls the zapfish down into the ink. Ika is sent flying back when an explosion of energy bursts from the ink.

A bright light emits from the ink pool, and a large shape begins to rise out of it. Ika couldn't discern what it was because of the light. It wasn't long before the light dies off, and the machine roars.

Ika blinks a few times, trying to see if what he saw was right. "Is that… an oven?" Marie sighs over the communicator. "Of course the Octarians would do something like this." Ika grimaces at the faces on the bread within the oven, then starts to run as the oven moves.

As Ika runs around the oven, he hears a ding. A looks over and sees the oven door facing him open. He rolls out of the way as the bread shoots forwards, stopping close to the edge. Ika's eyes widen as the bread retreats. If that had hit him, he would've gotten splatted for sure.

Ika keeps on running, careful to avoid any charges by the sentient bread. It seemed that his dodging angered the oven or something, as it suddenly begins shaking. All the bread shoots out at once as the oven dings.

Ika notices that the bread doesn't retreat and takes this as an opportunity to get to the top of the oven. He saw the tentacle up there, and he knew he would only have this chance.

Ika splashes the closest loaf with some ink and climbs his way on top. He inks the wall of the oven and swims up to the top. He jumps out and spins around for extra power and with one mighty swing, he spats the tentacle on the oven. The oven shakes as ink spurts from place the tentacle was. Ika super jumps away to not get caught in the ink.

As he lands, he notices another tentacle pop out from the oven. Ika sighs and says "Of course it couldn't be easy." Marie smiles and says "Don't loaf around, Ika. It seems the oven is getting serious." Ika's eyes go half-lidded and he deadpans "Not helping, Marie." Ika's gaze snaps back to the oven though as he hears something.

The wall that Ika painted was blasted off, a large metal wall replacing it. On the sides of the oven were now two large exhaust pipes. The oven roars again, and it shoots out some projectiles. Ika narrowly avoids one and grimaces as he notices that it was an ink piston.

"Mmmmm, churros." Ika's face warps into disbelief and extreme confusion. "Those are ink pistons Marie. Are you ok?" Marie doesn't respond.

Ika shakes his head and begins running around the oven. He takes extreme care not to run into any pistons, but he is otherwise ok. After a few dodges, the oven shakes and dings again, all the loaves popping out and freezing.

Ika repeats his routine from before and inks the lowest loaf. He has to ink the second layer of bread to reach the inkable wall this time, but it wasn't much harder. Ika once again takes out the tentacle with relative ease. The oven shakes and Ika jumps back again.

As the tentacle comes out a third time, Ika says "Third time's the charm." The oven then shoots out the bread, and Ika only just barely avoided it. The oven shoots something from it exhaust pipe again, and suddenly armor plates land on the bread.

Ika blinks as the oven doubles the ink pistons around the arena. "Armor… on bread. Now i've seen everything." Marie suddenly screams "Ika look out!"

Ika jumps and registers a sound of high-powered ink jets. Ika looks to his right and steps back in shock at the large row of ink jets going around the arena. He looks at the pistons and determines if he wants to live, he needed to run. Marie says "As I always say, sometimes the best offence is RUNNING FOR YOUR LIFE!" Ika follows that advice very well.

The glaze machine as Marie called it continued to go around the arena. Ika was glad for the ability to paint the ground in front of him as he ran, or else he might've been caught by the ink.

The ink jets suddenly retreat back in, and the process from before repeats. Other than the bread having areas Ika couldn't ink, he still had relative ease at getting to the top. Splatting the tentacle one last time, Ika hoped it would end there.

The oven begins to shake violently, the bread shooting out and freezing, smoke coming off of it. The oven begins to expand, and Ika was hoping for an explosion of red ink.

Suddenly, a beam of ink hits the place the tentacle would be. The oven stops shaking, and another tentacle pops out. Ika steps back in shock at not only the fact a fourth tentacle appeared, but also the fact that the X on it was rainbow colored.

Ika looks over to where the shot came from and sees a floating platform high in the sky. A figure was standing on it, but Ika couldn't make out any details. The light was right behind them and was shading out any details. But Ika could see that it was female, two long tentacles trailing down her back to her calves. He could also see a charger in her hands.

The figure simply stares at Ika, then falls into a puddle of ink. Ika watches as the figure super jumps away. Ika would try to figure out what happened, when the oven roars again.

Ika looks over and notices that many things changed. The bread was now completely covered in armor, no inkable spots on it. The ink pistons around the arena were now moving in and out, covering the arena in ink. Ika happened to be on one of the few spots untouched. Oh, and the glazer was out again.

Ika takes off running, but he was slowed down by the moving ink pistons. He looks back after another stop and finds the ink jets only a couple feet behind him. Ika's eyes widen and he tries to move double time. Luckily, it works and Ika is able to outrun the ink jets.

Just as Ika goes to take a little break, the oven door facing him opens. Ika's eyes widen again and he rolls out of the way. The bread retreats, aims at him again, and then shoots out. Ika rolls again, only barely able to get out of the way.

Marie says over the communicator "The oven seems to be super-powered now. Whatever that mysterious figure did, it caused the oven to go berserk." Ika grimaces as he avoids another rapid fire shot. "I can see that Marie! But more importantly, how do I stop this?!"

Marie stares at her laptop, watching the battle with a drone that Sheldon let her use. She looks around, then notices something. Whenever the oven would open a door, the large red sensor on the front side would flash. If Ika could break that, then maybe he could beat the oven!

Marie then begins typing something and says "Hold out for a little longer Ika. I can get you something to beat this oven." Ika almost yelps as he barely avoids another charge. "Please hurry Marie! I can't avoid both the bread and pistons for much longer!"

Marie hurries on her typing, then clicks enter. "Alright! A weapon deployment drone should be coming. Watch for it!" Ika nods to himself, then hears a buzzing. Up above was a simple quadcopter drone holding a large case. Ika avoids another charge and jumps up, grabbing the case.

The case pops open at Ika's touch, and Ika lands holding a Splatterscope. "A charger? What will this do?" Marie then says "See that large red sensor above you?" Ika looks up at it, avoiding another charge. "Shoot that with a fully charger shot. It'll break the oven… I hope." Ika sighs and says "Hoping is what I've been doing." But with a plan now in action, Ika is able to gain back some confidence.

Using his ink brush to create a path of ink, Ika swims past another charge. He stops in a spot the pistons don't hit and begins charging a shot. Once it is fully charged, he takes aim at the sensor and lets the beam fire.

The ink smashes against the sensor, cracking it. The oven shakes slightly, but its charges continue at a rapid pace. The pistons, however, had froze on the spot.

"Hit it again Ika!" Ika nods and continues to avoid the charges. He goes to charge another shot, when the oven shakes. The loaves shoot out, and Ika hesitates in confusion. Then, the oven begins to spin rapidly. Ika's eyes widen as the oven becomes a whirling death top. He jumps out of the way, but a splash of ink hits his exposed leg.

Ika yells as the acid burns into his skin, his leg trying to hold itself together. Ika grits his beak and charges a shot. As the oven stops spinning, he lets loose another beam of ink. It hits the sensor dead on and shatters it, the red fading out into black.

The oven shakes violently and it suddenly reverts back to its first form. The bread now had no armor and all the sides of the oven were inkable. Ika smiles, then falls into an ink puddle.

Now that the oven 'calmed down' and was moving slowly, Ika was able to heal his leg before it reached him. He pops out of his ink trail and dodges a few charges, when the oven shakes. With a distorted ding, no likely from the broken sensor, all the loaves pop out and freeze.

Ika pulls out his inkbrush and climbs his way to the top. He jumps into the air, and then slams his brush on top of the tentacle. The tentacle explodes in a shower of red, and the oven shakes violently.

The bread once again shoots out, burnt to a crisp. The oven expands, and with one final roar of defeat, explodes in a shower of ink. Ika puts an arm over his eyes to block the shower, then looks at the result.

The whole arena was covered in ink, and in the center was the zapfish. Ika wastes no time in breaking it out and heading back to Marie.

Marie takes the zapfish and says "Thanks Ika. Why don't you go rest? That was a hard battle with whatever that person did." Ika nods and goes over to the hut. He didn't want to leave the canyon after that action. But despite his want to rest, his mind was racing. One particular thought kept pushing its way to the front of his mind.

"_Why did that figure look like a squid when they super jumped?"_

**_-_****Author Notes-**

**This is the official beginning of the Splatoon 2 arc. It will definitely have a lot of changes from the original game, if this boss fight wasn't proof enough. I am going to try and explore the story more, and I will tend to avoid the normal "levels" as much as possible. The most you'll see of that is the Octoling missions. Expect some big stuff from this arc! **


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

The first thing Ika does when he wakes up is find something to eat. He was starving. He looks through the fridge and decides to eat a little sushi. He smiles slightly as he savors the flavor of the delicious fish in his mouth. He swallows, then decides to change.

He exits the hut and finds Marie already outside, typing away at her laptop. Her ears twitch as she hears Ika come out and she looks over to him with a small smile. "Hey there Ika. I was finishing up this scan through of the canyon."

Ika kneels closer to the laptop, hoping to get a good look at the video. "See anything important?"

Marie nods and says "Yes. It seems that all the zapfish are being brought to high priority locations, such as their factories and Octoling training grounds. And it's one of these factories that caught my attention."

Marie types a little more, and a picture pops up. On it was a large floating platform that supported a runway and a large factory. A bright light could be seen on top of the factory. Marie points to the factory and says "They reactivated their Octozeppelin factory. We need to shut this down so the Octarians can't get their supplies around the canyon easily."

Ika nods and says "Where can I find this factory?" Marie closes the picture and pulls out map of the canyon. She points at another sector that was close by. "Head to Beaker's Depot over to the north here. It should be in kettle number… 3." Ika nods and moves out.

After stepping onto the jump pad that led to Beaker's Depot, Ika super jumps to the sector. He reverts back midair and touches down with a splash of ink. He activates his communicators built-in map and looks for kettle number 3. He locates it and makes his way over. He splashes the kettle wish some ink to disrupt its camouflage ability, then jumps in.

He pops out of the kettle, and almost instantly falls back down. He had popped out on a floating platform far from the factory, but there were zeppelins flying all over. The all had large stone platforms attached that held boxes, presumably filled with supplies.

Ika peaks out over the side of the platforms walls. He could see a few Octoseekers around and many Octarian regulars. A few snipers were on other floating platforms, and an Octostriker was hovering in front of the factory.

Ika grimaces as he takes this all in. Turning around and leaning against the wall, Ika says "Marie! I can't get past all of these guys without being seen, and there are too many to fight through!"

Marie nods as she listens. "There does seem to be a lot more than when I scanned earlier. I wonder…" Marie flies the drone around the base, its camouflage on. She spies the random platforms around the one Ika was on, then notices something.

"Ika, there is a platform that had a disabled inkrail. Head over and activate it." Ika nods and looks over the wall. His eyes wide as a beam of red instantly locks onto him. He ducks back down and rolls to the side as a beam of rainbow colored ink shoots forwards.

Ika pants heavily as he stares at the rainbow death trap next to him. "Ika! What just happened?!" Ika shakes his head and says "I don't know Marie. I didn't think I was noticed, but a sniper locked onto me. Plus, that range was nearly ten times the range an E-liter has!"

Marie nods, her stress unconsciously making her bite her lip. "I see that. I am trying to find the sniper that did that." As the drone moves, Marie notices one beam of red that reached all the way to the edge of the dome. It had a longer range than the Octostriker.

The drone follows the beam of red light, and soon finds the source. A small outcrop was made in the factory walls, and a sniper could be seen from inside. Marie flies closer slightly to get a closer look, when the beam suddenly swings over to the drone. Unable to react to the sudden movement, Marie could only watch as the beam hits the drone and explodes. The last thing Marie saw from the drone was a flash of lights across where the eyes would be.

Ika hears the explosion over the communicator. "Marie? What was that?" Marie could only stare at the static-filled screen. "I-I… I can't believe it. That sniper just located a camouflaged drone and took it out instantly."

Ika's eyes widen at that. "That must mean they have some sort thermal goggles on!" Marie nods, her mouth set in a thin line. The only way to see the camouflaged drones was through the heat the electricity produced. Marie then frowns as she thinks of this.

"That must be what the sniper used to see you. The heat from the electrical equipment must've given you away." Ika curses and says "So there's no way to avoid this sniper." Marie shakes her head. "No, there isn't. Your best bet is to use the travel time and distance to your advantage." Ika nods, holding his brush tight.

Ika crawls over to the edge of the platform, right where he could jump onto the next. He peaks over quickly, just enough time to see what he needed, before ducking back down. A beam of ink flies over head and Ika breathes a sigh of relief.

His eyes narrow as he sets out a mental path to the inkrail. The platforms leading to the rail had no cover, so he'd have to run for it. He would luckily still be out of range of the Octostriker as he ran. His only worry was the mysterious sniper in the factory.

Ika breathes in to calm himself, then looks at the wall. In one fluid motion, he hops over and falls down. His tentacles blow behind him as high-powered ink flies just above where his head once was. He drops onto the platform with a roll and takes off running.

He has to constantly change up his running pattern. The sniper could lead their shots well and Ika was having trouble. He rolls as another beam passes above, then jumps as one goes below. He stares intently at the ink rail, now only a few feet away.

Some sixth sense must've kicked in then, because Ika throws himself into the air. Right as he does this, a beam of highly-pressured ink sweeps below him. Ika's eyes widen as he recognizes the type of beam that almost hit him. "Stingray!"

Ika then gets another surprise as he slams into the ground. He rolls ungracefully along, the sniper missing due to his unpredictable movements. Ika slams into the inkrail, activating it unintentionally. The rail extends outwards and passes in front of the sniper's sights, stopping another shot in its tracks.

Marie lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. "That was awfully convenient there Ika. You are lucky." Ika flips himself over, rubbing a hand on his injured back. "Owowowow. I don't care, I just don't want another inkrail jammed into my back."

Ika stands up carefully, then grabs his inkbrush that had fallen. He puts it on his back and pulls out the Splatterscope that was in his bag. He holds it tight and jumps on the rail.

The rail's ink instantly locks his feet into place and Ika flies off. He almost laughs at the exhilarating feeling he gets, and smiles as he views the rest of the rail. The rail went up and above the Octosnipers and went too fast for the mysterious sniper in the factory. The Octostriker was watching him the whole time, but didn't fire since he was moving too fast for the inkstrike anyways.

Ika trails his eyes along the rail and notices that it ends on the factory roof. The Octostriker must've noticed the same thing, because a large reticle was on the spot that Ika would have to jump off. Ika narrows his eyes and says "Not today striker."

Ika lowers his Splatterscope and aims at the Octostriker. The Octrostiker seems to notices this, as it jumps and looks at Ika. Ika himself cracks a small smile and lets the beam of ink fly.

The shot was true as it slams right into the striker's head. With an explosion of red ink, the Octostriker dies.

Now with the threat of an inkstrike gone, Ika is able to relax slightly. As he nears the factory roof, he notices something. The long beam of red that signified where the mystery sniper was aiming… was gone.

Ika tries to find where they could've went, when Marie says "Ika! Look at the factory!" Ika's gaze snaps over, and he gasps in shock. A giant zeppelin was rising out of the factory, armed to the teeth. It had splatling guns attached to the side and inkstrike launchers on the top. Underneath was a single platform where two figures stood.

One was an Octoling elite, the seaweed on her head giving her away. The other was the sniper, and in fact the same figure from the oven fight. The flashing lights where their eyes were… they kept Ika unnerved. Sadly, due to the light of the zapfish on the roof, Ika once again couldn't make out any details.

The giant zeppelin flies away, surprising Ika by not attacking him. He watches in shock, then yelps as he feels a sudden weightlessness. He rolls on the roof, his body thrown unceremoniously of the ink rail.

Marie chuckles lightly and says "You sure are clumsy today Ika." Ika mumbles, but doesn't say anything discernable. He picks up his charger and moves to the zapfish. He charges up a shot and breaks the glass around the factory. He runs up to the fish and un-attaches it from the wires that held it up.

As Ika puts the zapfish under his arm, the factory starts shaking. The building starts to crumble beneath him, and Ika yelps as a piece of the roof falls near him. Not wanting to be here any longer, Ika turns into a squid and super jumps back to the kettle exit.

Once he lands, Ika looks back at the factory. His eyes widen as he sees the carnage that was unfolding. The floating platform that held the factory was crumbling, and the factory itself was falling apart. The platforms that held the snipers were as falling, the sniper screaming in fear as they fell to the ground far below.

Ika stares in grim curiosity, then turns away. He hops into the kettle, which shoots him back to Beaker's Depot. He pops out of the machine and instantly super jumps back to Tentakeel Outpost.

Even before he crossed the archway, Marie was running at him. "Ika! Oh, I was so worried! I couldn't see anything that was happening! I was worried something bad happened to you!" Marie throws her arms around Ika, tears in her eyes.

Ika smiles awkwardly and says "H-Hey! I-I'ts ok Marie! I'm fine!" Marie sniffles and says "I-I know, but I can't help but worry. I-I can't lose both you and Callie." Ika's eyes widen slightly in understanding.

Ika prys Marie off and looks her in the eyes. "I won't let you lose me Marie. I won't stop searching and I certainly won't die until Callie is brought home." Marie's tear filled eyes stare at him for a while, then she smiles.

"Thank you Ika… for everything. I couldn't have done any of this without you." Ika smiles slightly and says "Of course. We are family after all." Marie giggles in response, her tears now ones of joy.

She wipes them away and says "So, what happened?" Ika breathes out suddenly and says "OH BOY! Ain't this a story!" Marie laughs and says "Now there is the Ika I know and love!" Ika frowns and says "Hey! You won't ever stop loving me!" Marie smirks and says in response "Oh, of course. I can't stop loving that baby face of yours." Ika just pouts.

He shakes his head and says "Alright, enough of that. The short version is that I rode the inkrail to the roof. A giant zeppelin covered in weapons came out, carrying away the sniper and an Octoling elite. I managed to grab the zapfish and get back to the kettle, but this wasn't before the platform started crumbling for some reason." Ika purposely left out the parts about the Octarians screaming as they fell to their death.

Marie puts a finger under her chin and says "Hmmm. A platform crumbling like that has never happened before when we grabbed the zapfish. The canyon must be extremely low on power if that happened." Ika nods. The theory made sense.

Marie looks at Ika again and says "Go get some more rest. That was one grueling adventure you just had. Be ready for another in a couple hours." Ika nods and goes to enter the hut, but his thoughts were once again focused on the bad.

"_That zeppelin only meant bad news. And just who was that sniper? That charger wasn't normal, and that ink isn't natural. I need to look out for them in the future."_

**-Author Notes-**

**I hope these improved levels are coming out well. I am trying to keep things going in a way that combines the deep lore of Splatoon with the actual levels. I feel like Splatoon 2 really missed out on a lot of things in their story. One of them was a certain boss that could've done a lot more in the fight *Wink wink*. Anyways, hope you enjoyed!**


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

A few hours have passed and Ika was ready for some action. He has his inkbrush on his back and the Splatterscope in his bag. He sees Marie back in the same place as before, once again typing away rapidly.

Ika moves over and looks at the screen. He catches a glimpse of an Octoling before Marie turns to him, her head blocking the screen. "Hello Ika. I have your next mission ready." Ika nods and sits next to her.

Marie gestures to the screen and says "This is the next location you'll hit." Ika looks analyzes what he sees on screen.

It showed a sort of dojo, Octolings all over the place. Some had their goggles off and were resting, but most were training vigorously. A single Octoling elite was in the front, but something was off about her. She seemed taller than the other Octolings, and something about her hair was… off.

Marie seemed to read his thoughts and says "Yes, that is your target. This is a new Octoling elite we haven't seen before. As you can tell, something is strange about her. Rumors say she has incredible strength and even immunity to water."

Ika's eyes widen and he says "You don't think…" The sentence stayed in the air, and neither wanted to admit the thought. Marie knew it couldn't be kept alone though, and says "Yes, I believe she is. We may have another hybrid on our hands, and this time it is an enemy."

Ika shakes his head. "I came to get Callie, but this is getting to be too much. What else are the Octarians hiding?" Marie shrugs her shoulders. "It could be anything. But for now, focus on the mission."

Marie points to the elite and says "I don't want you to engage them. Your job is to simply get the zapfish powering the dojo and get out. If you find something important, then record it. This is a stealth mission, and not even you can take on all those Octolings." Ika nods.

The picture closes as Marie pulls up the map again. "The kettle is located in Slimeskin Garrison. It is in the 8th kettle." Ika nods again and super jumps away.

Marie puts her arms up to block the ink. She frowns as she looks at her ink covered kimono. "I wish I was holding my umbrella now." She shakes the ink off and activates another drone to watch Ika.

Over in Slimeskin Garrison, Ika had just touched down on the kettle. He instantly hops in, the kettle creating a loud noise as it shoots Ika down to the dojo.

He lands in a hallway, thankfully with no Octolings in it. He pulls up his hood and mask, then opens the top of his tank. He drops a small pellet in, and his ink turns to a jet black color. The tablets helped him mask his ink when on stealth missions.

Ika jumps into the shadow of the hallway and sneaks his way down. As he travels, he can hear a small, continuous sound. "Ha! Ha! Ha!" The typical sounds of material artists moving in union.

Deciding that it might be his best course of action, Ika moves down the hall to the dojo. He can see the sliding doors that enters the dojo, and steps up to them. He opens it just a crack, and is thankful to find a shadow cast by the walls. He makes a very small line of ink to the shadow, then steps in the trail. He pops out within the shadows slightly, then takes in his surroundings.

The room was a simple dojo. Punching bags lined the walls and various training equipment could be seen. The room also had a large open middle area for sparring and group training. A training that happened to be going on right now.

Each Octoling had their goggles off, and they were all wearing workout clothing. Ika's face reddens as he sees the… tight clothing.

The Octolings were all practicing in sync with each other. "HA!" The sound went in perfect unison as all the Octolings threw a punch. "HA!" Next came a kick. "At ease, soldiers!"

The Octolings stop, and Ika looks over to the one who spoke. His eyes widen as he sees the Octoling elite that was on the picture. Her hair was a very dark magenta color and was in the same typical style all Octolings seemed to keep. She also had on the Octoling armor and a new set of the Octoling shades.

The features that stood out though was the human-like traits. She was much taller than the Octolings. While an adult could reach around 5' 4" at most, the elite stood at the very least 6'. She also had a very toned body, powerful muscles on her arms and stomach. She also had the same strange fibers as Daniel did making her hair. Curiously, white circles seemed to be present in them.

Ika then took in her weapons. Unlike the other Octolings, she had on a set of metal gauntlets. With the muscles she had, those gauntlets could do some serious damage. Ika also noticed a small scabbard on her belt. He would bet that a sword or long knife was kept in there.

Judging by these facts, Ika would bet that she was a close range fighter. She wouldn't be much threat with how wide-spread Ika's brush could be.

The Octoling looks at the other troops, all panting heavily, and says "Alright, that's enough for today. Head back home." The Octolings nod and go to the side of the room where their equipment was stashed. They then begin trickling out in small groups, right through the door Ika was hiding next to.

Ika's eyes are shut tight as the Octolings pass. His black hair and clothing, along with the black on his eyes, made him practically invisible. He didn't move a single muscle as the Octolings passed by.

The main thing about hiding is to never move a muscle if someone is watching. If they don't expect to see someone, they won't see you. But the second you move, their gaze will instantly snap to you. That single movement may be enough for them to investigate.

Ika strains his ears as hard as he can to see if the Octolings are gone. Once he hears all the footsteps fade into the distance, only then does he open his eyes. He looks at the dojo and notices that only the elite was left over. She seemed to be training some more with a punching bag.

Ika watches in interest as she repeatedly and rhythmically hits the bag. She constantly shifts on her feet, her long hair flowing behind her as she moves. Her face was set in complete concentration.

For a while, the only thing Ika saw was the Octoling. He was so interested in how such a phenomenon existed. Sure, Daniel was also a hybrid, but he mostly looked like an inkling. This girl was different.

After 10 minutes passed, the girl stops. She seems to glare at the punching bag as she rested. She was taking large breaths, her… shaped chest moving in rhythm with her breathing. Ika once again found himself heating up as he looked at her.

He shakes his head rapidly as he realizes this. He glares slightly at the Octoling and thinks "_These Octolings are too damn sexual. I need to go."_ He shifts slowly along the wall and to a door in the back. None of the Octolings went through that door, so he was curious as to what was behind it.

The elite wipes her brow, then she suddenly looks at Ika. He freezes as he feels a gaze suddenly on him. The elite looks around, her gaze focusing on Ika's general area. She then shakes her head and says "Must've imagined it." She walks to the front of the room, grabs her gear and leaves.

Ika waits for a couple minutes before moving again. He breathes out a sigh of relief and moves to the door again. He resists the urge to move more freely now that no one was around. He could never know if someone would enter suddenly.

Ika stops by the door and opens it just a crack. He peers through the door and, seeing the lights off, decides it is safe to enter. He opens the door the rest of the way, then closes it behind him. He reaches into his bag and grabs a flashlight, then gasps in shock.

He seemed to step into some sort of workshop. It was covered in blueprints and looked nothing like the dojo he was just in. He gazes at the blueprints as he walks. Most were simple designs for weapons or platforms for the Octarian regulars.

As he walks further though, he begins to see more new designs. One such design was the zeppelin he saw at the factory. Another was, strangely, a large speaker-like device. But then, he saw something even more interesting.

He nearly missed it, but the flash of his light on it made him look back. Sitting within an unlocked drawer, was a key. Ika walks over to the key and grabs it, then looks at the workstation it was in. The top had no blueprints or parts, unlike the previous stations. But, it did have a mini Octarian vault. In the vault Ika could see a white piece of paper.

Ika uses the key to open the vault and grabs the paper. He opens it carefully, as if fearing what was inside. What he sees though, is much worse.

_Dear Octavius,_

_The gear to control all the Octolings has been finished as per your request. I have the gear stashed within my chambers, locked away and hidden from sight. When you request it, I shall have it delivered to the specified areas at dawn._

_Sincerely,_

_Head Scientist Willard_

The first note was of definite interest, but another note was underneath it. In what Ika could only describe as arrogant in its wording, it says

_Willard,_

_It pleases me to see that you are performing your actions well. The equipment is good to be planted by tonight. See to it that you have it finished before sunrise. It will give us even more leverage over that old fool Octavio. The war will come, and it will come even if I have to use my own race._

_Octavius_

The final part of the parchment was a simple map of a town. X's were drawn all over, and Ika could presume this was where the "equipment" would be placed. Next to the map was a drawing of what looked like a killer wail. It was smaller though and lacked the exhaust pipes for the ink used to power it. Ika could only wonder what it was.

Deciding that he spent enough time looking at the sheet, he stows it away in his bag. He then does a quick sweep of the room with his flashlight, looking for anything else of interest. As he looks, he notices another set of doors. A dim glow could be seen behind it. Ika moves to the door cautiously and opens it.

He recoils as a bright light hits his eyes. He cracks one open, then looks at the light source. A zapfish was sitting there, its prison connected to a large fuse box. It looks at Ika in slight fear, but otherwise doesn't move.

Ika moves to the prison, then breaks it open. He grabs the zapfish, and then notices that the electrical whirring he could hear in the room was dropping. He leaves the room and goes back to the door right before the dojo.

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?!" "Someone tampered with the zapfish!" "Calm down troops! If they do have the zapfish, it'll be easy to see them. Keep your weapons ready troops!" "Hai General Kai!"

Ika instantly begins sweating as he hears the voices and the sudden pounding of footsteps. He looks around, wondering how he would get the zapfish and himself out of there.

"Ika! There is a vent above you!" Ika looks up to where Marie indicated and notices the vent as well. He smiles under his mask and turns into a squid. Pulling the zapfish into the ink with him, he jumps up through the vent and into the ventilation system. He reverts back and carefully crawls along, careful not to agitate the zapfish and cause it to scream.

Meanwhile, the octolings from before were going back to the dojo. In the lead was General Kai, the hybrid Octoling. She had on her armor and goggles and her gauntlets were strapped tightly to her hands.

She moves over to the door to the workshop and kicks the door open. All the Octolings behind her, armed with rollers, shooters, etc., all look around for the intruder. Kai steps forwards some, then feels something.

Her foot felt like it was stuck on something. She looks down and with a little force, pulls her foot out of the substance. She rubs a finger along it, but instantly flinches back as it burns her. "Inkling ink!" Kai looks at her various students and says "Be careful! There is an inkling in here, and it is more than likely an agent!"

The octolings look at each other with uncertainty. They knew how easily the last set of agents took them out. Even the elites couldn't do much. Kai notices this and says "If you see the agent, do not engage. Grab your closest ally and trap the exits. They cannot leave with that zapfish!"

The Octolings, now not under the threat of fighting an agent, all sigh. They salute their general and move out.

Ika could hear the footsteps beneath him as he crawls in the vent. He looks down over another grate and watches as a pair of octolings move below, their weapons ready to be fired instantly.

He looks up and continues to crawl along. Marie, her voice quiet as to not draw attention, says "Take one more right turn and you'll reach the kettle. Be careful though, I am reading multiple enemy signatures ahead." Ika nods and continues to move.

Once he turns and reaches the grate, he realizes he is right above the kettle. He looks around and notices three Octolings around the grate, all of them holding rollers. Ika grimaces slightly as he notices that. Those rollers could splat him in one go.

Deciding that his best course of action was a single stealth attack, Ika quietly drops down on the kettle. The kettle's bars make a barely audible noise as he lands, and one of the Octolings look back.

Ika instantly swings his brush in a wide arc. The Octoling in front of him instantly falls down unconscious from the ink poisoning. The other octolings didn't receive as much and instead fall to the ground. One Octoling looks back at the attacker, and her eyes widen when she sees the fully black figure. "Agent 7…" Ika glances at octoling once, then falls into the kettle.

It was a few minutes before the other octolings found their wounded comrades. Kai came in running, worrying for their safety. She helps up the Octoling that saw Ika and says "Are you alright Madie?"

Madie nods and says "I am fine General Kai. But… the inkling that attacked us. It was agent 7." Kai's eyes widen. "He is their best fighter! Was he the one that retrieved the zapfish." Madie nods.

Kai looks down, wondering about this. While she wasn't in active duty during the agents' first attack, she heard plenty about them. The worst was Agent 7. Clad in all black, he was like a grim reaper set to take your soul. He would mercilessly assassinate any target he was assigned. Luckily, he was never assigned to the front lines. He would've massacred the regulars if he was.

Kai looks at the other Octolings and says "Alright, help these three to the closest kettle leading to an infirmary. And keep some ink pumping into Otome over there. She is in critical condition." The Octolings nod and help their injured comrades up.

Kai watches as her troops move out of sight. She then turns around and begins moving down the dark hallway. "_I must report this to Lord Octavio instantly. Agent 7 could be a vital part of the plan." _She steps on a large kettle and falls in, instantly being blasted to the Octo-king's palace.

**-Tentakeel Outpost-**

Ika sighs in relief as he sits. "That was too stressful for my liking." Marie smirks and says "With what you do on a daily basis, this didn't seem to be." Ika mock glares at his cousin and says "You say that after crawling in a musty vent over dozens of armed Octolings." Marie just shrugs.

Marie then turns to Ika and says "So, what did you find out?" Ika sits up straighter and reached into his bag. "Other than confirming the elite as a hybrid, I found this." He pulls out the paper and hands it to Marie.

Marie rolls open the paper and gazes at it in interest. Her eyes narrow as her eyes travel down the page. Once she sees the map of a city, she looks at Ika. "This is extreme news, Ika."

Ika shrugs and says "It seemed important, but I don't know why it was locked up." Marie looks at the paper again and says "Ika! This paper may contradict everything we thought we knew of Octarian society! We thought Octavio was the supreme ruler and kept all his people in a militaristic society. But… this may cause that guess to be wrong."

Ika tilts his head in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

Marie looks at Ika, her eyes filled with mixed emotions. "I mean this. Octavio may not be the villain here. Octavio may be another puppet in this game."

Ika just scratches his head. "Um… ok?" Marie, noticing he isn't comprehending, says "I'll put it simply."

"Octavio. Is. Innocent."

The silence that followed was almost deafening. Ika just stares with wide eyes. Then, suddenly snapping out of his stupor, he screams "WHAT!?"

Marie recoils at the volume, covering her ears. "Wow Ika! You can be incredibly loud for someone specializing in stealth."

Ika's expression doesn't waver and he practically gets right in Marie's face. "I don't care about my volume Marie! I just want to know how you could possibly think our worst enemy is innocent of his crimes!"

Marie pushes Ika off of her and frowns. "First off, please don't grab me like that again. And secondly, this is only a theory. It may or may not be true."

Marie brushes some dust off of her kimono, then says "It's like this. The letter said that some sort of equipment was being set up to control Octolings. This could be connected to Octavio, but then it says that it was going to be used as 'more leverage against Octavio'. Finally, the responder states that they would see another great turf war, whether they would have to use their own kind or not. Putting this together, I can at least infer that Octavio is being used for something, and that something may very well be starting another great turf war."

Ika stares at his cousin, trying to comprehend the possibility off this. Octavio was their worst enemy. He's shown on multiple occasions that he hates inklings. That couldn't have been a fraud act, right?

Although, now that he thinks about, Octavio did make his fight with Clementine and Whinter much easier than he should've. Octavio is a mechanical genius, and yet he let as large a flaw as knocking back his own weapons past him? That didn't seem right then, and it was beginning to make sense why now. Octavio let them win, but not in a way that seemed obvious.

Ika shakes his head, grimacing. "I-I… I don't know Marie. Despite the evidence, I can't just accept that Octavio is a good guy suddenly."

Marie nods in understanding. She felt the same way. "I understand. We need more proof. The only way to do that is to investigate the matter some more. In the meantime, you can rest out and go beat up a microwave or something." Ika stares at her like she's gone crazy. Marie rolls her eyes and says "I mean go beat up another boss."

Ika stares a little longer, then shakes his head. "That was really bad Marie." Marie crosses her arms under her chest and says "Just lightening the mood since Callie isn-" Marie stops herself just after she says it. Ika's face darkens and her own expression instantly lost its sassiness.

Ika turns away and says "I'm going to bed. Night." Marie looks after Ika and says "Good Night, Ika." She watches as he closes the door behind him, then she looks up.

She looks at the stars shining all throughout the sky. _"Me and Callie used to count the stars as kids."_ Marie looks down, her eyes starting to tear up. She opens her mouth, then begins to sing to herself.

**When the tide goes out**

**I hope it finds you.**

**In the dark of night**

**Do you see it to?**

Marie's voice catches on the lump in her throat. She swallows, but she can't remove it. She looks down and closes her eyes, tears flowing down her face. _"Please come home Callie."_


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Deep within the palace of Octavio, said king and his number one fighter were speaking with each other. "Are you sure it was Agent 7 that is operating currently?" Kai nods. She trusted her soldiers' words completely.

Octavio, now in his octopus form, looks to the side in thought. "_So, Craig's grandson is running around and taking the zapfish? He may be just the person we need." _Octavio looks at Kai and says "Try to contact Agent 7 and his commander. Do not engage, but fight back if necessary." Kai salutes, then leaves.

Then, without turning around, Octavio says "Agent 1, it is time to test the other agent's abilities. Get ready for a fight." A shadowy figure then steps out of the light slightly. Clad in sparkly leggings and short shorts, she instantly gave the vibe of a very sassy person. The figure smirks and says "Oh, this'll be good." Lights flash as she speaks, roughly around the same place her eyes are.

**-Tentakeel Outpost-**

Ika once again finds himself ready to go on another mission. He is sitting next to Marie and listens as he munches on a salmon sandwich.

"Your next location is the boss in Beaker's Depot. We know the zapfish is their, but the boss is unknown. Be careful when you enter." Ika nods and prepares to super jump. Marie expects this and grabs her umbrella, opening it up. This inadvertently causes Ika to move forwards slightly. He then shoots off in a trail of ink.

As Ika goes to land, he notices something strange. He seemed to be off point slightly. He was trying to figure this out, when **BANG!** A wall suddenly appears in front of him. He slams into it in his squid form and just slides down, too dazed to move.

He snaps out of his daze once he hears Marie laughing over the communicator. He turns back to his humanoid form and lands on the kettle below him. "Oh ha ha. I think you did that on purpose." Marie struggles to get a response out since she is laughing so hard. "I-I didn't m-mean to, b-but that was H-HILARIOUS!" More laughter ensues. Ika just rolls his eyes and jumps into the kettle.

Luckily, by the time he arrived at the platform right before the boss, Marie stopped laughing. Ika steps onto the jump pad and jumps into the arena. He looks up and once again finds a zapfish being lowered into the arena, right above the large pool of purple ink.

A tentacle bursts out of the ink and pulls down the startled zapfish. Once again a bright light erupts from the ink, causing Ika to squint in order to see. He watches as another large figure comes out of the ink, but this time… it seemed to be a living creature.

Then, as suddenly as the light appeared, it vanished, leaving Ika with a sight he would never forget. Standing in front of him was the largest Octarian he's ever seen! He wore a motorcycle jacket and was holding a giant roller. Curiously, he seemed to be a mix of an Octarian regular and an Octoling.

The giant Octarian hoists the roller onto his shoulder and says "My name is Hanzo Octarius. I am the Octo Samurai, and your challenger!" Hanzo looks at the brush in Ika's hands and says "I see you know the ways of melee combat. This is good, for we may now have an honorable fight!" The giant then slams his roller on the ground, issuing a challenge.

Ika slams his brush onto the ground, grinning widely. Two opponents slamming their melee weapons on the ground was a traditional way of beginning a melee dual. It's been a long time since Ika has been challenged like this. "Alright then! I am Agent 7 of the new Squidbeak Splatoon! I accept your challenge."

Hanzo doesn't change expression, but Ika sees a glint of satisfaction in the giant's eyes. "Then let us begin." Hanzo lifts the roller over his head, then slams it on the ground again. This time, ink flies forwards in a very far vertical line. Ika, already expecting this from a roller, moves out of the way.

Hanzo watches as Ika moves around the arena at an incredibly fast pace. "I see you wish to use your speed against me. I am sorry to inform you that it WILL NOT WORK!" As Hanzo yells, he spins in place, his roller moving along the ground.

Ika's eyes widen as he sees a torrent of ink flying towards him. He stops running and enters his ink trail, backtracking rapidly. He only just barely avoids the ink.

Popping out of trail again, Ika notices that Hanzo has disappeared. He looks around in confusion, when suddenly "IKA! Behind you!" Ika turns around and watches as Hanzo emerges from his ink, his roller already above his head. "HA!" With a mighty roar, the giant brings his roller down on top of Ika.

Hanzo lifts his roller and finds Ika laying there, covered in ink. Ika's breath comes in short bursts, and he suddenly shakes violently. He turns himself over and begins coughing violently, purple ink flying out of his mouth.

Marie stares in horror as her cousin is laying there, drenched in ink. How could he fight this?! Her eyes widen as she suddenly remembers something. Sheldon always put a single Squee-G in his drones in case of an emergency. She could use that.

Hanzo raises his roller to finish off Ika, when he suddenly hears a whirring sound. He looks up and finds a quad-copter lowering itself to Ika, a squee-g in its clutches. "I would normally destroy that drone, but I too have illegal weapons. Use it as you wish."

Ika looks up slowly, his expression not going away from the extreme pain he felt. His insides felt like they were being melted, and his skin was burning to the point of feeling like he fell in a fire. He watches as the squee-g is lowered on him, then begins to suck up the ink.

Ika instantly begins to feel better as the ink is removed. The foreign ink in his system leaves naturally, and Ika stands up. Placing some ink around him as an escape, Ika then looks at Hanzo. Hanzo nods and says "Let us continue."

Ika instantly backs up as Hanzo slams his roller on the ground horizontally. Ika runs around, using the same tactic as before. Hanzo watches and says "If that tactic didn't work before, why would you believe it would work now?" Hanzo lowers himself into his stance, his eyes flashing.

Ika's eyes narrow as he sees this. He turns into a squid and compresses himself. As Hanzo begins to spin, Ika shoots himself into the air. The ink flies harmlessly below him as he turns back into his humanoid form.

Hanzo looks around, trying to find his opponent. Ika takes advantage of this and slams his brush right on top of Hanzo's head. Hanzo's arms fly up in shock and he accidentally drops his roller. Ika lands next to Hanzo and begins covering Hanzo in ink. The giant tries to fight back, but without his roller, he couldn't do anything. After enough ink hits him, Hanzo falls over.

Ika stops running, panting slightly. He moves over to Hanzo, the giant watching him. "I-It is finished, A-Agent 7. F-Finish me." Ika doesn't respond, his face neutral. He raises his brush over his head and watches as Hanzo closes his eyes. Hanzo smiles as Ika prepares to finish him off. "I-It was an h-honor to die i-in battle."

Ika freezes at this, but then begins to bring his brush down. "Oh I don't think so, Iky boy!" Suddenly, a wave of rainbow colored ink slams into Ika's back. Ika hisses in pain and looks back, glaring at his attacker. But as soon as he gets a good look, his eyes widen in complete disbelief.

His attacker had long black tentacles tied in a bow at the top of her head. They ended in a magenta color, and she also wore a set of color flashing shades. Her outfit looked like a skimpy version of Callie's stage outfit, and an octopus tattoo was on her hip.

Ika tries to find his voice, but nothing would come out. After mustering enough strength, he mutters out "C-Callie?!" Callie smirks and strikes a pose with her Krak-On Roller. "In the flesh, Seveno. But I ain't here for anything sentimental, so let's leave it for another time. Right now, we have a melee fight to do!"

Ika stands up, his face suddenly grim. He closes his eyes and breathes deeply. He suddenly glares at Callie and says "You aren't Callie. She would never work for the Octarians."

Callie just smirks again and waves a finger at him. "Tsk tsk tsk. You should know better than to think that Iky. You can't deny the facts." Ika's mouth forms a thin line and he begins shaking.

Marie, completely stunned the entire time, then says "I-Ika, she's telling the truth. That is Callie." Ika frowns and he says "I know, but I didn't want to admit it."

Callie smirks and says "Well, know that you aren't in denial and all that schmuck, let's get to the beatdown!" Callie slams her roller on the ground and instantly takes off after Ika.

Ika's eyes widen and he instantly turns and runs. He tries to lead Callie away from Hanzo so he could have more space to fight, when Callie suddenly begins singing.

**Blushing faces covered in pink!**

**Rushing bombs, exploding ink!**

As Callie sings this, she pulls out some curling bombs. She throws them on the ground towards Ika, all of the diverging in his path. Ika's eyes widen as he sees the bombs flying at him. He falls back into his ink puddle and moves back.

Callie smirks at Ika as she watches him avoid the explosion. "Nice moves Seveno! But this fight ain't over yet!" Callie then puts her roller on her back and pulls out a strange charger.

"That's the same charge the sniper used!" Ika's eyes widen as he sees Callie take aim at him. He lowers his brush to the ground and takes off. Callie tries to hit him, but can't seem to land the shots. Callie frowns and says "I was good yesterday. What gives?" She puts the charger back and says "Whatever. Melee it is!"

Ika watches in the corner of his eye as Callie runs at him. He narrows his eyes as a plan formulates in his head. He waits as he sees his sister raise her roller, then bring it down horizontally.

Callie smirks as she sees Ika disappear into the wave of ink. Then, she frowns as she sees him gone. All that was left was a mess of rainbow ink, tiny red splotches throughout the splash. She walks forwards carelessly, looking for Ika.

As she passes the point that she 'splatted' Ika, a single splotch of red begins to rise. It forms into an ink covered figure, and then Ika is standing there. Callie spins around, suddenly getting a bad feeling, only to get hit in the face with a wave of red ink.

Ika lowers his brush as Callie falls on the ground. The shades were covered in ink, and Callie was struggling to get the ink off. "Owowowow. Burning ink and I can't see! I can't fight like this!"

Ika glares at his sister and says "Callie, why would you do this?" Callie stops rubbing the ink, and Ika suddenly is able to see her eye through the shades. The ink must've removed some of the dimming paint.

Her eye was normal, but he could see tears forming in her eye. "I told you already that I ain't doing the sentimental stuff. Anyways, I'm out of here. Come on big boy!" Callie turns into a squid, and then jumps away.

The arena suddenly begins shaking as Hanzo turns into a giant octopus. He also super jumps away, a large amount of ink left behind him. Ika watches as the two disappear into the distance.

"Ika, you ok?" Ika closes his eyes as he registers Marie's voice. "I'm fine Marie. I'm coming back. This mission was a failure." Marie doesn't say anything as Ika makes his way back home.

**-Tentakeel Outpost-**

Ika shuffles over to Marie, his mind stuck on the fight and revelation he just recieved. Marie walks over, her umbrella in hand, and says "Ika? Are you ok?"

Ika suddenly clenches his hands and says "She didn't want to." Marie blinks, then says "What was that?" Ika then glares at Marie and screams "SHE DIDN'T WANT TO FIGHT!"

Marie jumps back, startled at Ika's outburst. Ika continues to glare at Marie, but he wasn't focused on her. "I saw her eyes! She was tearing up as she spoke! She doesn't want to do this, but something is forcing her! I… I just can't believe I let her down so badly." Ika's rant eventually begins to degrade from anger into sadness.

Marie, still cautious of any outbursts, moves to Ika slowly. She wraps her arms around her cousin and says "It's ok Ika. We can save her now that we know where she is." Ika doesn't respond, a sniffle being the only sound.

Marie brings a hand under his chin and lifts his head so he is looking at Marie at eye level. "We'll get her back. We can't ever be kept apart forever." Ika still only continues to cry, but he does nod.

Marie smiles slightly and says "Come on, let's go rest." Ika follows Marie as she moves to the cabin. His crying eventually stops, and he begins speaking again. Marie smiles as she converses, but neither could go far from what happened previously.

Callie was back, but not in a way they thought. She was being controlled, and the cousins would stop at nothing to get her back. Nothing.


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Just outside of Tentakeel Outpost, a single Octoling was observing Ika and Marie. She had on her normal armor and goggles, and her long strands of hair fell down just past her shoulders. She was waiting for an opportunity to present itself when she can finally contact the agents.

After waiting for about 30 minutes, she finally saw her opportunity. The two agents had gotten up and gone inside, presumably to eat before setting out on another mission. Kai pulls out the letter in her pack, then begins running to the cabin.

Ika was sitting at the small table, eating his rice balls contently, when he hears a noise. He glances at Marie and says "Hey Marie. Do you hear that?" Marie looks up from her plate and her ear twitches. She nods and swallows her food. "Yes, I can hear it. Sounds like running." Ika glances at her and nods. The two get up, grabbing their weapons, and walk out.

The cousins exit the cabin and looks around. They lower their weapons when they don't see anyone. Ika blinks and says "Huh. That's strange." Marie goes to respond, when something on the bench outside catches her eye. "Hey Ika, looks at this."

Ika watches as Marie goes to the bench and picks up an envelope. The words "To Agents 7 and 2" were on the front. Marie rips the envelope opens and reads the contents.

**Agent 7 and Agent 2,**

**This letter is a request by Lord Octavio to speak in his presence. He has sent his number one general to inform you of the dire events within Cephalon HQ. Our own chancellor has betrayed us and is holding our Lord within his grasp. We plan on staging a rebellion and regain the control and peace Octavio held for so long. **

**Sincerely,**

**Commander Octari**

Ika reads the letter over Marie's shoulder and says "Seems things are worse than we thought." Marie nods, but then says "It still could be trap."

"Oh, I assure you it is not a trap." Ika and Marie's gaze instantly snap behind them where the voice come from. Walking from beyond the archway was the hybrid Octoling elite. She had on the typical armor seen on Octolings, but the insignia on her chest plate was that of a golden octopus, 2 tentacles outstretched over its head. It was the royal insignia.

Ika would've attacked, but he was caught off guard by the way the Octoling walked. She was swaying her hips back and forth, seemingly unnoticed by the Octoling herself. Ika once again found himself blushing.

Marie glances over at his cousin and smacks him, Ika yelping in surprise. She raises her charger and says "What are you doing here Octoling?" The Octoling stops and plants her hands on her hips. "If you read that letter, you would know."

Brandishing his brush, Ika says "So you are the general that Octari person spoke of?" Kai suddenly comes to attention and bows. "General Kai at your service." Ika glances at Marie, and she nods.

Ika steps forwards and says "Alright. I am Agent 7 of the new Squidbeak Splatoon. This is obviously Marie from the Squid Sisters." Marie bows and Kai bows back.

Kai then smiles slightly and says "It is an honor to be in the presence of two of the great agents of the Squidbeak Splatoon." Ika raises an eyebrow at this and glances back at Marie. She shrugs. The Squidbeak Splatoon should NOT be revered for splatting hundreds of Octarians, least of all by the Octarians themselves.

Ika decides to bring up the issue. "Wait, hold up. How is it an HONOR to be standing in the presence of probably your worst enemy?" Kai nods, as if in complete understanding.

"You see, the Octolings that are loyal to Lord Octavio commend you agents for protecting your city so well. The ones that hate you are the ones loyal to Octavius, our chancellor." Kai then turns and says "Come, let us go to the palace. It is the one place that Lord Octavio can move freely." Ika and Marie glance at each other, then begin following Kai.

They watch as Kai begins traversing a set of floating platforms that had appeared. Ika begins hopping from one to the next, Marie close behind. They watch as Kai stops at on a much larger platform, a single, ornately decorated kettle on top. Kai falls into the kettle and shoots down into the depths. Ika hops on the kettle and follows, along with Marie.

The two pop out and find Kai waiting there. She gestures for the to follow again and walks off. The two agents, expecting a trap more than anything, ready their weapons. The two walk down the large hallways, each one covered in various artworks and sculptures. At the end, certain CDs and retro-style artworks could be seen. Most were made by Octavio himself.

The hallway was also littered with Octolings and Octarian regulars. They all had the same insignia that Kai had, and none of them attacked the two agents. The cousins were still on guard the whole time, their nerves almost to their limit.

After traversing the long and winding hallways, Kai stops in front of a large set of doors. She opens it and steps inside, the agents following.

The inside was a large throne room. A single red carpet was rolled across the floor to a throne that sat on the same level as the area around it. Other than those two items, nothing else of interest was in the room. Well, other than the large, familiar octopus sitting on the throne.

Kai bows to Octavio and says "Lord Octavio, I have brought the agents as requested." Octavio nods and says "Excellent. You are dismissed Kai." Kai bows again and leaves the room. The two agents are left staring at Octavio, their weapons held tightly. Octavio taps a single tentacle on his chair, looking for a way to start this. He then glances at them and notices their tense posture.

"Oh, come on! I told you I wasn't an enemy, right?" Ika frowns and says "No, you didn't. Plus, all the things you did in the past didn't help." Octavio sighs and stands up, an odd sight to see for an octopus.

"I can't blame you. The things I did were not good, and I am not proud of them. But you must hear the whole story to believe me." Octavio pulls out a controller of some sort and presses a button. A part of the floor retracts and a round table comes up. Octavio sits at the table and gestures for the agents to join.

Once the agents have seated, he then says "Before we get started, I believe there is someone who wants to see you." Ika raises an eyebrow, and then gets barrelled over by a pink and black blur.

"IIIIIKKAAAA!" Callie screams in joy as she wraps her arms around her brother. Her outfit was the same as during the fight, but the lights previously on the shades were not present. They could all see her eyes.

Ika wraps his arms around Callie and smiles widely, his eyes filled with tears. "Oh Callie! I can't believe that you are here!"

Callie laughs and says "I can't believe it all either! I was hoping you would come!" Marie smiles at the embracing siblings, silent tears falling down her face. Octavio, while they were all distracted, turns into his humanoid form. He smiles at the rejoined family.

Octavio then says "Alright, now that everyone is present, let us begin." The group looks up, and Ika and Marie gasp in shock. Callie simply smiles. Ika, shocked at what he is seeing, says "W-What?! You can still turn into your bipedal form?"

Octavio nods. "It is difficult, but I can manage. Besides, it is much easier to express facial expressions when you have something better than a permanent glare." Ika smiles nervously, uncertain whether to laugh or not.

Octavio glances at the nervous inkling and says "Lighten up inkling! We aren't enemies anymore, and you shouldn't be such a hipster." Ika doesn't respond. He wasn't sure what to say. Callie notices this and says "You'll get used to it." Ika still doesn't say anything.

Marie on the other hand was curious of something. "Callie. Why are you here anyways, and why did you fight Ika?"

Callie sighs, knowing this would be an issue. She glances at Octavio, and he nods. Callie looks at her brother and cousin and says "Well, these shades were more than normal. Turns out, they were a mind control device made by Octavio."

She taps them as she says "But the mind control never really worked. Other than giving me a new personality when they are on, they really just buff me up to boss levels. It is amazing!"

Her smile falters as she continues. "Once this was found out, Octavio quickly informed me of his plans. I was shocked at first, but I was happy to help. From then on, I was quickly added to the ranks. I sang to the soldiers as a boost of moral and was part of the planning. Due to this though, Octavius wanted me out fighting. He figured it would demoralize you guys if you found out I was fighting against you."

Underneath the table, her hands clenched into fists. "I couldn't believe the nerve of that guy. He was so uncaring to all the Octolings around him, his mind set on starting the war. Sadly, Octavio couldn't out right deny his requests. He sent me on the couple missions you saw me, then sent me to test you."

Ika and Marie listened with rapt attention the whole time. Callie then smirks at Ika and says "Oh, by the way, I wasn't nearly at the shades full strength earlier. I could do much more than that." Ika nods, his mind still processing the information he was told.

Marie was the first to snap out of her stupor. She looks at Callie with a hint of betrayal and says "And you couldn't have told you us that?! Me and Ika have been searching for you ever since the Great Zapfish disappeared!"

Callie flinches at the angry tone in Marie's voice and says "I-I'm sorry! It had to look realistic, or else Octavius would active the mind control devices!" Marie is still upset, but she backs down. One of the worst things for her to see was Callie upset.

Octavio then says "It's true. Octavius has mind control devices set up all over Cephalon HQ and other Octarian towns. With a single press of a button he could control every Octarian down here. For me though, I would be fried. My old mind wouldn't be able to handle the sound and would simply shut down on me. I would die on the spot."

Ika and Marie's faces turn grim as the process this information. Callie then says "In order to combat this, we need a way to stop the mind control devices. The only options are shutting them down, or somehow making it so they don't affect Octavio's soldiers."

This really did seem like a big problem. Octavius could start a war with a single button if he wished and none of the Octolings would surrender. He doubted that this Octavius person would do that. If only they could just prevent the sound from affecting the other Octolings.

Before Ika could start thinking of a solution, Octavio speaks up. "Now we can start up the whole story, that way you two are all caught up." Octavio rests his hands in front of him and begins the story.

"You see, once the war ended, many of the Octarians were very bitter. We were just thrown out of our homeland by who we considered our allies. Luckily, many Octarians are forgiving creatures. The Octolings recognized a lost battle and did not hold grudges."

Octavio sighs, then continues. "But not all Octarians are like that. One in particular, Markin Corall, despised the inklings for what they did. Now normally, one person wouldn't have an affect. But Markin was an old member of the council, older than me. He began rousing up the less forgiving Octarians into trying to regain the land they lost. He died by old age before his plans could be carried out."

The old octopus's eyes glare at the table as he remembers the next part. "I thought this would be the end of the movement. I was wrong. Markin's son, Octavius, took up his father's ideals 10 years ago. He was a brilliant negotiator and inventor. He crafted the mind control devices based on my own designs. After he made them and rounded up some followers, he forced me into submission. If I allowed even a single possibility that it wasn't me doing this into your heads, he would activate the devices. It was only through careful timing and planning that we even managed to contact you."

The three inklings are watching with rapt attention as Octavio continues. His expression becoming very serious, Octavio then says "So, me and my subordinates came up with a plan. We would continue with Octavius's plans, but we would allow you two to win. You capture me, Callie is set 'free', and all the Octolings who hear the Calamari Inkantation run away. Octavius would likely activate his devices on the remaining Octolings, but me and my forces would be free to plan a counterattack." The agents nod. It seemed like a sound plan.

Octavio then brings a hand up to his temples. "The only problem is doing that counterattack. If those devices are active, we can't attack without my soldiers being controlled. We still haven't been able to devise a way to prevent this."

The agents once again nod in understanding. They knew that Inklings were impervious to auditory mind control devices crafted by the Octarians. More than likely this is their strongest form, and it would explain why the visual version through the shades didn't work.

Ika thinks hard on what would work. The devices were obviously going to be auditory, so they would need a way to prevent the sound from entering the Octolings' heads. Ika tries to rack his brain for an answer, but none pops up.

"What if we put speakers on the shades the Octolings wear?" Ika looks over to Marie who had presented the idea. Realizing that she had everyone's attention, Marie continues. "We could attach tiny speakers back by the ears of the Octolings and play the Calamari Inkantation through them. It should drown out the single note played by the devices."

Octavio nods as he considers the idea. "Yes, that does seem to be a good idea. We obviously would need to make some for the regulars, plus a special pair for me, but it would work." Marie smiles in satisfaction that her idea was accepted.

Suddenly, a beeping is heard. Octavio looks at the wall behind the agents and sees a red light flashing. "Oh no, Octavius's forces are coming. We need to get you two back. Callie, activate the shades."

Callie nods and presses a button on the side of the shades. As the lights begin flashing, Callie's body shakes violently. The shaking stops though, and Callie smirks. "Time to get out of here Seveno. Don't want to see you splatted." Ika frowns at this. That was one big change in personality.

Octavio leads the two to the door and they find Kai standing outside. Octavio nods and Kai begins walking, the two agents behind them. Callie crosses her arms under her chest and says "Don't worry, DJ. We'll beat that hippy Octavius into next week." Octavio laughs and says "Now you are speaking my language." The two turn around and enter the throne room, the door closing behind them.

The agents manage to make it back to Tentakeel Outpost without any problem. They wave goodbye to Kai and enter the cabin. As Ika takes off his hoodie, he says "Man, today was one eventful day. Callie is back, Octavio is actually an ally, and the Octarians are going to have a civil war that WE will be a part of."

Marie nods. She takes off her kimono, underneath being a simple t-shirt and shorts. "Yes, it was very eventful. But for now, let's get some rest. We have some more zapfish to save after all." Ika nods and walks into his room. The two fall asleep, ready for what the next day will bring.


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

The sunlight shines into the cabin window and hits Ika straight onto his eyes. He squints and shifts around, but he was awake now. He wouldn't be falling asleep again. Ika blinks a few times to clear the haze in his vision, then throws off the blankets.

He quickly puts on his hero gear and steps goes into the living room. He grabs some of the crabby cakes that are always present and starts munching on them. He grabs his brush next to the door and steps outside.

The light makes Ika squint for a little bit before his sight adjusts. He looks around, taking another bite of the crabby cake. He looks over at the bench and finds another envelope, the Octarian royal insignia on it. He grabs it and takes it inside.

He puts the letter on the table and walks into Marie's room. "Marie! We have a letter from Octavio! You up yet?" All Ika receives is a low groan. Ika opens the door completely, and then stops.

Marie was still on her bed, but she was in her squid form. Her eyes were shut tight and she was groaning, looking like she was fighting something. Ika glances at the window and notices she was waving her tentacles at the sunlight. He chuckles in relief. He thought she might've been sick.

Ika goes over and picks up the sleepy squid. Marie's actions calm down, and she continues to sleep. Ika smiles and brings her out into the living room. He continues to smile until he is standing over a pool of watered down ink. He promptly drops his sleeping cousin into the pool of green ink.

The pool practically explodes as Marie bursts out of it, eyes as wide as saucers. She looks at Ika, who was simply smiling, and growls. "Don't do that again. I am very irritable when I haven't slept completely."

Ika blinks, then tilts his head. "It is nearly 10 AM. We should've been moving out by now." Marie glances over at the clock and sees 9:53. She sighs and says "Alright, fine. Let me get my kimono."

After a minute or two, Marie exits her room. Clad in her normal kimono and her tentacles in their typical hairstyle, she grabs her laptop and says "Let's get these last missions done with."

The two, now sitting on the bench outside, look over their progress. Marie points at two glowing points on the map and says "According to the info we've gathered, the last two bosses are here. Complete the missions and unlock the kettles. It should allow you access them." Ika nods, then super jumps away.

After completing the tedious missions for the zapfish, the boss kettle activates. Ika stands on top of the boss kettle and falls in.

Once he exits the kettle, he notices something. "Hey, where is my brush?!" Ika looks around wondering if the brush would appear somewhere. Then, out of nowhere, a small drone flies in. If not for the different color scheme of gold and red, Ika might've mistaken it for one of Sheldon's.

The drone drops a case down to Ika and Ika grabs it reflexively. The case pops open and an Octobrush design he's never seen before is in his hands. He then notices a note on the side of the brush.

**Dear Agent 7,**

**We thought it would be good for you to have some knowledge of our own weaponry. The weapons used in normal levels are nothing like our military-ranked weapons. Equipped with more power and their own unique specials and subs, they will be quite different then normal. Take Callie's charger for instance. She didn't suddenly get good with a charger after all.**

**Sincerely, **

**General Kai**

Ika examines the brush closely. It seemed to be like a normal Octobrush, but the same futuristic highlights seen on most military-grade weapons were present.

"I…ca...ear...e?" Ika jumps as a voice appears within a large amount of static. Marie notices as well and says "Who is that?!"

"It...me...ener... ai." Ika mumbles out what was said. "It...me...ener...ai. It's me... ener… ai. Ener ai. Eneral ai. General Kai! That's General Kai!" Marie's eyes widen in surprise. "They seem to be trying to enter the call." Ika nods. "Let them in."

The static continues, and then it begins to die down. "Can you hear me now?" Ika nods. "Loud and clear Kai." Kai smiles.

"Alright, now we can get going. That brush is called the Octobrush Remix. It had a much larger cover range than a normal brush and it has a unique special and sub. The sub is a multi bomb. It is a single bomb that explodes into 8 smaller bombs." Ika blinks in surprise.

He looks at his pack and rummages in it. After a bit, he pulls out a bomb that is covered in 8 large bumps. He looks at the ground beneath him and chucks the bomb down. The bomb instantly explodes and eight small bombs shoot out. Those explode when they hit the ground as well. Ika grins. "Neat."

Kai smiles to herself. "I see you already know how to use that multi bomb. Good. Now, the special is called the Tentawhip. A large tentacle will pop out of the ground and attack anything you want, along with blocking attacks."

Ika whistles out in surprise. "That seems strong." Kai nods. "It is. It tends to be a favorite for the soldiers due to its utility." Ika nods, then steps on the launch pad.

Ika lands on the ground gracefully, his new brush in hand. He looks at the pool of ink that the boss is hiding in. The same familiar tentacle pops out and pulls down the zapfish. The same sequence begins.

After the light fades, Ika goes wide eyed in shock. Marie has a similar reaction. "Is that.. The Octostomp?!" Standing in front of Ika was a large cube with legs. The front had a face covered in ink. The machine was towering over Ika, its emotionless eyes staring at Ika.

Suddenly, the block begins to run at Ika. Ika yelps and says "Questions later! Now, I run for it!" Ika brings his brush down and takes off. Just as he begins to move, the Octostomp launches itself in the air. Turning its face downwards, it slams into the ground with incredible force.

Ika is nearly knocked off his feet from the shockwave that followed. Marie, recognizing this opportunity, says "Hurry Ika! Cover the side with ink and get on top! That's where the tentacle is!" Ika nods and runs at the cube.

He is able to quickly coat the entire side of the machine in ink due to the increased spread of the brush. He swims up to the top and swings at the tentacle, causing it to burst into an explosion of purple ink.

The machine begins shaking and Ika quickly jumps back. He lands on the ground right as another tentacle bursts out of the machine. The Octostomp hops back onto it legs, and then does something disturbing. Its face pushes out somewhat, then shoots back in place. A big, ink-proof coat then covers the whole thing.

Ika steps back in slight surprise. "That is a big coat." The machine then roars, removing all the ink on stage, then crouches down. Marie's eyes widen and she yells "Move to the side Ika!" Ika complies and runs to the side.

Just as Ika does this, the machine suddenly rockets forwards, much faster than when it was running. Ika just barely dodges it as it flies into the air, then slams back down.

Ika turns around and looks at the machine as it gets back up. As long as that coat was there, he couldn't do much. Then, as he is looking, he notices something on the Octostomp's face. A big clip, something to hold the coat together, was going over where a nose would be. Ika grins. "Jackpot."

The machine runs at Ika again and Ika rockets off with his brush. He runs in circles around the machine, the Octostomp unable to turn fast enough to keep up with Ika's speed. Once Ika completely circles around, he lunges at the machine's face. He smacks the clip with his brush and it instantly breaks, the coat falling off.

The machine roars and sends Ika flying back. Ika rolls on the ground, groaning as he gets up. He puts a hand on his side and winces. He hit the ground really hard there. He looks at the Octostomp and yells as he sees it jumping. He falls into his ink and swims away just as it lands.

Ika is ripped from the trail of ink and flies through the air as a squid. He lands in another trail of red ink and rises out of it slowly, wide eyed. "That was intense." Marie just frowns and says "Focus Ika. The fight ain't over yet." Ika nods. "Right."

The Octostomp picks itself up again and stares at Ika. Ika holds the Octobrush tightly, ready to move the second the cube moves.

The Octostomp roars and crouches down again. Ika, recognizing the stance, moves to the side. The machine barrels towards where Ika was and slams into the ground again.

Ika wastes no time and quickly inks the side of the cube again. He swims up and slams his brush into the tentacle. The tentacle explodes again and Ika jumps away from the machine.

The tentacle bursts out of the ink and submerges again. The Octostomp gets up and the coat pops back into place. Then, doing the same weird thing with its face, two more faces pop out on either side of the center face. The machine roars and stares at Ika.

Ika himself grimaces and steps back. "Did it… just grow two more faces?!" Marie cringes at the sight. "That is very creepy Kai." Kai just shrugs to herself. "It removes a weakness. I don't care about it." Ika shakes his head and begins running.

The Octostomp moves slowly at first, simply keeping its sights on Ika. Then, just as Ika goes to break the coat, the Octostomp jumps to the other end of the arena. Ika, stunned by how far it jumped, pauses momentarily.

The Octostomp lowers its head and a giant splatling gun appears on top. Ika yelps as it begins shooting at him rapidly. He submerges in his ink trail to avoid the barrage.

As the gun stops shooting, the Octostomp begins to move slowly towards him. Ika decides to try a new tactic at breaking the Octostomp's coat. He pulls out a Multi Bomb and waits for it to try and squash him.

The giant cube roars and jumps into the air, right over Ika. Ika then runs backwards, out of range of its giant faces. As the Octostomp comes down and Ika removes himself from the splash zone, he throws the multi bomb. The multi bomb bursts right as the Octostomp lands, and the machine is rocked by the explosions.

Ika stops running and turns to the cube. As it gets up, the coat falls off and the extra faces retract. Ika sighs in relief. "I didn't think that would work honestly." Marie shakes her head. "You and your crazy ideas."

The Octostomp roars and charges at Ika. Ika swims off to the side and gets ready for the shockwave. The machine slams into the ground and Ika instantly begins climbing up. He jumps onto the top of the Octostomp and slams his brush into the tentacle.

The tentacle bursts into red ink, and the Octostomp begins shaking violently. Ika jumps away from the machine and watches as the cube begins to expand. After a second, the expansion stops, and then the machine bursts in an explosion of red ink.

Ika covers his eyes, then looks at the middle. The zapfish was in its prison and red ink littered the entire arena. Ika runs over to the zapfish, breaks it out, and turns back to the entrance of the boss arena. "Mission accomplished."

**-Tentakeel Outpost-**

Ika touches down right next to the cabin. Marie smiles as she comes over and takes the zapfish from Ika. "More energy back to the city. At this rate we can have all the TVs and electrical equipment running again. Too bad turf wars can't happen without the Great Zapfish."

Their communicators suddenly click on and Kai says "About that. Octavio has the Great Zapfish to power his mech. He'll be the 'final boss', so to speak." Marie nods "I expected as much."

Ika just puts down the Octobrush and says "Well, I don't care much about that. I am going to take a break before hitting that last boss before Octavio." Ika walks into the cabin and sits on the couch.

Marie smiles at her cousin, then looks at the horizon. "_Things are working out well so far. I just wonder… where did Amber and gramps run off to? I hope they didn't get into trouble." _Marie just chuckles. "_Either way, I'm sure they're fine." _Marie then enters the cabin to rest as well.


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

The day had gone by quickly for Ika, who had spent it clearing the missions necessary to open the boss kettle. After dropping off the last zapfish, he instantly went off to face the last boss before he faced Octavio himself.

Ika was holding his new Octobrush, ready for what the next boss would be. Once he launches himself onto the arena, he finds the same process as before occurring again.

Ika watches as the zapfish is lowered, and the tentacle bursts from the ink. As the tentacle pulls down the zapfish, he hears something else go in the ink as well. "What was that?"

Kai responds with "That was a rubber duck. For some unknown reason, the maintenance crew thought it would be funny to leave that there. You'll see why." Ika just sweat drops.

As the light begins to dim from the machine activating, Ika gets a good look at the weapon. It looked like giant shower head with two red lights on the front that looked like eyes. It was being carried by three Octocopters. Ika notices that they all had a different insignia on their helmets, this one being of a simple octopus-like shape with a pair of red glasses.

Before Ika could ask about the insignia, the machine hisses loudly. The octocopters move backwards as the machine gets in position. Kai then says "That is one of our strongest machines, the Octo Shower. It can employ numerous weapons to use on its enemies, its favorites being a charger, a splatling gun, and a stingray."

Ika raises an eyebrow at that last part. "How did you guys get stingrays anyways?" Kai just says "Reverse engineering. When you have platforms that float, a beam of ink through walls isn't much harder." Ika nods, satisfied for now.

The Octo Shower then hisses loudly and a large, Squiffer-like charger appears in its hands. Ika notices a beam of red light focusing on him and he takes off. The shower tracks him perfectly, but it doesn't lead its shot to compensate for the delay in fire. As such, the shot misses him by a large margin.

Ika looking for a way to get the tentacle when Kai says "Get the Octocopters above it. If they are taken out, the tentacle should pop out." Ika nods and runs towards the shower.

The shower was in a corner of the map and too high up for him to reach normally. He could just super jump up there, but the shower would likely avoid him easily. As Ika thinks of how to get up there, he notices an odd device on the ground. It was a large sphere that was pulsating yellow. Ika grins and says "That's an ink rail! I bet it's my ticket up there."

Ika splashes the ink rail with ink and hops on, just as the machine hisses again. It tracks Ika once more, but Ika is going to fast. It fires as Ika turns on the rail, missing its shot. Ika though, he jumps off the rails and brings his brush behind him. He swings it in a large arc, splatting all the Octocopters on top.

The Shower, unsupported by the Octocopters, quickly falls to the ground. As Ika is falling, he notices the tentacle controlling the machine pop out. He brings his brush over his head and slams it on top of the tentacle as he falls.

The tentacle bursts into a torrent of purple ink, but then another pops out. The Octo shower lets out some steam and four more Octocopters fly in. They grabs the Octo shower and bring it in the air. The Octo Shower hisses loudly and flies back.

Ika watches as the machine hovers off the side of the arena. Then, with a large horn like blare, a torrent of ink appears beneath it. It then begins to move forwards quickly. Marie's eyes go wide and she says "Ink shower! Off to the side, quick!"

Ika rolls over to the side, just barely avoiding the shower of ink. A drop had landed on his leg and he winces as it burns his skin. He rubs the spot lightly as the Octo Shower turns around.

The Octo shower hisses loudly again, and this time a splatling-like contraption appears beneath it. Ika's eyes widen and he quickly runs away from the shower as it begins firing numerous shots at him in rapid fire.

Ika takes refuge behind a tower and waits for the shower to finish firing. Once he hears the shower stop, he looks out from behind the tower. He grows confused though when he doesn't see the shower. "Where did it go?"

Suddenly, a large shadow appears over him. He looks up and gasps as he see the Octo Shower hovering overhead. Kai, realizing what was about to happen, yells "Get out from under it! Hurry!"

Ika does as he is told and quickly runs out from underneath the machine. Just as he gets out from under the Octo shower, it shakes and opens the hatch beneath it. A torrent of ink splashes down where Ika once was.

Ika breathes in heavily at how close he was to being splatted. "Ok, that didn't go well." Then, he realizes something. The tower he was next to was taller than the others and was close to the level the Octocopters were on.

Wasting no time, Ika quickly splashes ink all over the side of the tower. He submerges into the ink and swims up to the top. Once he reaches the top, his eyes widen in surprise as he lands on a bounce pad.

Taking the opportunity presented, Ika turns himself the Octocopters and turns back into his humanoid form. He swings his brush at the copters and they all are splatted in one go. The Octoshower once again falls, the tentacle popping out of the machine's top.

Ika once more brings his brush over head and slams it into the Octo Shower. The machine shakes and Ika jumps back, another tentacle popping out of the machine. Ika watches as the 'eyes' turn back on and the machine hisses.

Another set of four Octocopters fly in, this time with jet propulsions on their helmets. They would randomly gain a burst of speed and go to the side, as if showing Ika what they could do. They grab the Octo Shower and bring it back in the air. The machine lets out a loud hiss and begins the battle again.

Ika watches as it pulls out its Squiffer and takes aim. Ika quickly runs to the side and easily avoids the shot. As he does this though, the shower quickly pulls out another weapon. It charges the weapon, a very familiar sound echoing throughout the arena, and a large beam of pressurized ink begins moving towards Ika.

Ika's eyes widen as he recognizing the stingray beam from the Inkling special weapon. He begins running to the side, just barely out running the beam. The Octoshower begins to slow down and eventually, the weapon stops firing.

Ika looks at its position and finds it near another ink rail. Ika hops on and rides his way up. The Octocopters notice this and panic, firing shots at Ika. The high speed of the rail is able to out maneuver the shots fired by the Octocopters.

After he manages to get to the top of the rail, Ika jumps and prepare a swing. But as he swings his brush, the Octocopters all activate the jet propulsions. The shower bursts to the side and the two left hand Octocopters avoid the ink. The other two get splatted.

Ika falls to the ground as the remaining two Octocopters struggle to get the shower away. The Octo Shower's movement was slowed by the lowered support, but it was still quick. The shower then hisses loudly another contraption appears underneath the shower. In its hands was a large and very familiar looking rocket.

Ika's eyes widen as he realizes what he was looking at. "That's an Inkstrike!" Kai looks back at the screen and she gasps slightly. "That's the shower's final resort. It'll activate that Inkstrike in thirty seconds and cover the whole arena in ink! Quickly Agent 7, you must deactivate the Inkstrike!" Ika nods and begins running to the shower.

The shower follows Ika as it moves closer. The Octocopters begin to become nervous at how close he was, but they don't move. They know that moving suddenly could cause the Inkstrike to haywire.

Ika inks the tower the shower is next to and swims up. As he gets on top, he finds that nothing was present. No ink rails and no jump pads. But, in the middle of the tower, there was a large pack of six cylinders. Ika grins and says "Rollonium! That'll knock the thing down!"

Ika moves around the rollonium and positions himself accordingly. He swings his brush and coats the rollonium in ink. Along with becoming covered in red ink, the pack of rollonium fires at high speeds in an arc. It slams into the rocket beneath the shower, causing it to crack.

The Shower begins to hiss and shake as the Inkstrike beneath it begins to expand. Then, the inkstrike blows up within the shower's grasp. The entire arena gets coated in red ink, but the Octo Shower doesn't get effect. The tentacle was inside and the Octocopters were protected by the shower itself.

The Octo Shower hisses and shakes, then deploys another weapon. This one looked like a giant megaphone. Ika's eyes widen as the massive Killer Wail begins to charge up, purple rings appearing around Ika's location.

Ika begins running, but he knew he wouldn't make it. Then, a ding is heard. Ika looks back and sees his tank light glowing red, signifying a special being ready. Ika clicks the button, and then is consumed by the sound waves of the Killer Wail.

Marie's eyes widen in shock as she sees her cousin disappear into the giant beam of ink. "IKA!" Kai had a hand over her mouth, staring at the screen in disbelief. She knew the Octo Shower was one of their strongest weapons, but this was insane! She couldn't believe that the great Agent 7 was actually… defeated.

Marie's eyes shut tightly and she looks away from the screen. She doesn't notice that as the Killer Wail begins to end, a large red tentacle was now where Ika once was. Kai, however, does notice the tentacle. She grins widely and yells "He's alive! The special saved him!"

Marie's gaze snaps back to the screen. She watches as the giant squid tentacle begins to unwrap itself from around something. The tentacle stands upright again and Ika falls to the ground, splotches of purple ink on him.

Marie jumps up and cheers, completely unlike her normal, calm personality. She smiles in relief and says "Ika! I can't believe you survived that!"

Ika struggles to get on his feet, the patches of ink burning his skin. He chuckles weakly and says "I can't believe it either." He grabs his brush and creates a puddle of ink beneath him. He falls in and sighs in relief as the ink begins healing his body and removing the deadly Octarian ink.

In the meantime, the giant tentacle had yet to exhaust its power. It instantly begins swatting at the Shower, who was struggling to get away. The giant tentacle grabs the shower with its suction cup and slams it into the ground. The Octocopters, taken off guard by this, slam right into the shower and get knocked out.

The Shower, believing the Octocopters to be dead, makes its tentacle pop out. It hisses loudly in distress, trying to call for reinforcements. The tentacle wouldn't allow it though and slams itself on the octopus tentacle controlling the machine.

The tentacle explodes in red ink and the Shower begins shaking. Lightning arcs around its body and then, with one last hiss, it explodes in red ink. Ika re-emerges from the ink and looks at the suddenly present zapfish in surprise. "Wow. That tentacle is extremely useful."

Ika pulls himself from the ink fully and walks over to the zapfish. He breaks it out of the prison, but then he notices something. One of the Octocopter's helmet had been blown off by the explosion before being splatted.

Ika goes over to the helmet and investigates it. It was a simple metal bowl shape with the barrel of a gun on the front. The top had a set of helicopter blades, and the sides had a pair of jet propulsion devices on each side. The most notable thing was the picture of a black octopus with red glasses, similar to the ones the Octolings wore.

Kai, noticing what he is looking at, says "That is the insignia of the Chancellor. It used to simply be the normal Octarian symbol, but ever since Octavius began controlling Lord Octavio and his forces, he adopted the symbol as his own. It now signifies Octarians who agree with his plans and want war with the Inklings."

Ika nods and inspects the helmet a little more. After finding nothing of interest, he throws it to the side. He walk over to the kettle and makes his way back home.

**-Tentakeel Outpost-**

Once Ika touches down on Tentakeel Outpost, he instantly hears his communicator start up. Marie, who was going to say something, pauses as her's does the same thing.

After a little static, Kai appears on the other end. "Back home safely, Agent 7?" Ika nods to himself and says "Yeah, I got back fine. What's up?"

Suddenly, a different voice appears in the communicator. "Agents 7 and 2, you must remember this for tomorrow. It is extremely important," says Octavio. "Once you come to fight me, almost all the Octarians present will be my own forces. Octavius doesn't dawdle in my plans."

Then, mumbling to himself, Octavio says "Slimy little hipster doesn't appreciate my ingenuity." He then shakes his head and says "Anyways, we still have a problem. Even if Octavius won't be present, most Octarians will be watching. This time, since my troops aren't under control, they'll be ready to go once the Calamari Inkantation is heard. The other Octolings won't be affected."

"As such, you must make the performance look authentic. If Octavius catches wind of this fight being staged, he'll instantly activate those speakers." Octavio's voice then becomes more soft as he says "Good luck you two. All of the Octarian race is counting on you."

Ika and Marie's communicators shut off after that. Ika looks over to Marie and says "Wow, no pressure." Marie nods and says "Why don't you get some sleep for tomorrow. I'll go get Sheldon and get him informed. He'll be extremely valuable in supplying the Octolings weapon."

Ika nod and watches as Marie goes over to the pipe. After she falls into the pipe leading to Inkopolis, Ika goes to the cabin. There was a big day tomorrow, and Ika is going to make sure he puts on a show the Octarians will never forget.

**-Author Notes-**

**Things are coming to an end for the Splatoon 2 arc! Soon things will heat up even more as the Civil War begins for the Octarians. Hope you guys enjoyed so far!**


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Octavio, now in his octopus form, walks out into the giant arena serving as the location of the 'final boss'. He throws two of his tentacles in the air, Kai and Callie walking behind him. In a booming voice he says "**WHAT IS UP OCTO CANYON!**"

The Octarians in the seats around the arena all cheer loudly at Octavio's entrance. Callie then steps up and, striking a pose, says "**ME AND THE DJ WILL BE READY TO DUBSTOMP THAT AGENT 7'S FACE INTO NEXT WEEK!**"

Once again, as the Octarians cheer, the trio makes their way to the large mech in the middle. Octavio gets into his DJ booth and Callie super jumps to the stage on top. Kai then presses a device and the mech lowers into ink until only Callie's stage is visible.

The Octarians all quiet down as the lights dim and Callie turns around. Kai, walking away from the arena, goes to sit in the seats. "_Now we wait."_

**-Tentakeel Outpost-**

The now trio of people are staring at the letter within Ika's hands. Sheldon looks over to Marie and says "As tempting as it is to bring that military-grade brush into battle, I think we should follow the note."

Marie nods and says "You should do as it says Ika. You can't use an Octarian weapon while that Chancellor is watching."

Ika frowns and reads the note again, seemingly ignoring Marie and Sheldon.

**Dear Agent 7 and 2,**

**Due to the fight needing to seem authentic, we must require you to perform specific actions. First, you mustn't use the Octobrush Remix we supplied you. It would be too suspicious to see an Agent using an Octarian weapon.**

**Secondly, you must treat Octavio with hate and disrespect like before. Same goes for Callie, except you must be surprised at Callie being 'mind controlled'. **

**If you follow these actions, things should run smoothly for us all. Also, the coordinates for the final kettle is down below.**

**Sincerely, **

**General Kai**

Ika finally puts the letter down and says "Fine, I guess I'll leave the brush here." Ika gets up and ignores the Octobrush he has gotten used to. He instead grabs his custom made brush and heads out the door. Marie and Sheldon watch him, then run to Marie's laptop to watch the fight.

As Ika touches down on the final kettle, he notices that the hub is floating over a lake of Octarian ink. Ika grimaces and says "I don't want to know why that's even there." He instead turns into a squid and falls into the kettle. The platform the kettle is on begins to spin and descends into the depths, right into the arena where Octavio is waiting.

As the platform stops spinning, Ika steps out of the kettle. He shakes his head slightly to removes the dizziness, then steps on the launch pad. He rockets into the arena and, acting as he should, gasps at what he sees. "I-Is that…?"

Callie turns around dramatically, her tentacles flipping over her shoulder. Then, in a loud and projected voice, she says "**I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE! NOW YOU LEAVE ME WITH NO CHOICE.**"

Marie, trying to sound distressed, says "C-Callie?! Why would you do this?!" Callie seems to ignore Marie and says "**IT'S TIME FOR THE BEATDOWN! HEY DJ!**" Callie then points to the sky and the stage beneath her begins to shake.

The giant mech begins to rise out of the ink, and Ika is honestly surprised. The mech was a much larger version of the Octobot King from their first big adventure with Orange and Blue.

The Great Zapfish, stuck in the power core, tries to struggle out. Octavio simply presses a button and the zapfish gets sucked in. Then, with a large shake of power, the Octobot King makes a loud electronic sound.

Octavio laughs maniacally and says "**HAHAHAHA! I REMIXED CALLIE'S BRAIN!**" Callie, eager to get the fight going, then says "**TIME FOR OUR FIRST SONG OF THE NIGHT: **_**BOMB RUSH BLUSH!**_" Octavio slams his wasabi stalks on his turntables and says "**LET'S BRING THE HEAT!**"

After this little performance, the real show begins. As Callie begins to sing her famous solo, Octavio remixes it in real time. The remixing seemed to trigger the attack mechanisms in the mech.

Ika splashes some ink around him to be ready, then hears a charge-up noise. He looks up and notices that one of the mech's fists was rocketing towards him. Ika grips his brush tight and then, once the fist is close enough, begins covering it in a flurry of ink. The fist begins to slow down at first, and then rockets backwards.

Octavio's eyes widen in mock surprise as the fist hits his shield. Callie stumbles around and her singing falters. Then, whispering into her communicator, she says to Ika. "Watch it Seveno! I ain't about to fall off this thing!" Ika just whispers "Sorry…"

Octavio manages to get control of his mech and says out loud "**SLIMY LITTLE HIPSTER! IF YOU THINK THAT'LL BEAT ME AGAIN, THEN YOU ARE MISTAKEN!**" Octavio then does a quick turn on his turntable and the left fist begins to spin.

Sheldon's eyes widen and he yells "Ika! You can't deflect the spinning fists! Dodge to the side!" Ika nods and begins running. The fist is fired at Ika at extreme speed, but it ultimately misses him.

As the fist retracts, Callie then begins to sing louder.

**Blushing faces covered in pink! **

**Rushing bombs, exploding ink!**

Ika's eyes widen as he recognizes the line from her song. Callie then slams her hands onto the mech and the speakers up front shoot out four giant Splat Bombs. Ika yelps and runs as the splat bombs land next to him. He is just barely able to avoid the attack.

Octavio then laughs and seems to smile. He slides one off his dials up and the music increases in volume. Callie once more brings her hands down onto the mech and the speakers shake wildly.

At first, Ika is confused about what was happening. Then, as rings of purple begin to appear around him, Ika realizes what was going on. Ika instantly falls into his ink trail and swims to the side as fast as he can.

The killer wails, disguised as speakers, then fire. As the loud noise bursts from the special weapon, Ika only just clears the blast zone. Well, almost clears it.

Ika screams out and holds his leg as he sees it covered in the deadly purple ink. He digs his fingers into the ground and grits his beak tightly. Marie covers her mouth in shock and Sheldon stares in disbelief.

Callie, despite not wanting to, says "**LOOKS LIKE WE GOT 'IM!**" Octavio just laughs in reply. He then begins charging up a fist for launch, but it was much slower than before.

Ika grits his beak and reaches for his brush. He stares at the fist wide eyed as he tries to get grip on his brush. The fist launches, and Ika manages to grab his brush.

Ika reaches behind him and pulls out a splat bomb. He chucks it at the fist, and the bomb explodes on impact. The fist slows down greatly, but it wasn't enough to stop it. Ika then brings his brush back, then swings it forward as hard as he can.

The flurry of ink just barely manages to stop the fist and deflect it. While Octavio and Callie recover from the attack, Ika begins to splash ink over his injured leg. He sighs in relief as his leg becomes coated in the healing red ink. He then shakes the ink off and stands up again.

Octavio glares at Ika, but he is secretly enjoying the challenge the inkling was giving him. "_Impressive Ika. Let's hope you can hold out enough to beat me."_ Outwardly, he growls and says "**GAH! I'M GONNA DUBSTOMP YOUR FACE IN FOR THAT!**"

Octavio then flicks his turntables and the calamari bombs in front of him shoot forwards. The calamari bombs expand greatly and fall onto the stage with a splash of purple ink. Ika raises an eyebrow at the bombs, then tries to destroy them with ink.

The bomb breaks apart as the ink hits it, but the others begin to shake violently. Ika's eyes widen and he quickly tries to get rid of the others. He manages to get rid of two more before the calamari bursts apart and becomes a torrent of purple ink.

Ika back pedals as he sees the purple tornado in front of him. He manages to stop himself and breathes a sigh of relief. Then, he notices a strange sound. He looks over to his left, then yells as he sees two fists flying at him. He instantly begins to swing his brush, coating the fists with red ink and sending them back.

Both fists slam into the mech's shield and Callie begins to lose her balance once again. "W-Woah!" She manages to right herself, then grits her beak. She then yells out "**ALRIGHT! TIME FOR THE NEXT VERSE!**"

Callie sings out again and her tentacles glow. Then, a large machine appears on her back. It was a bomb launcher filled with multi bombs. Ika yelps as Callie begins to rain the bombs onto his location and he was hard pressed to stay safe.

The bomb rush eventually ends and the fight continues. Ika had some splotches of ink on his armor, but he was otherwise fine. Marie, noticing how difficult the fight was becoming, says to Ika. "Hold out for a few minutes Ika! I'm coming!" Ika nods, his breath coming in slight pants.

Octavio flicks his turntable again and both fists begin to spin. Ika runs away from his spot, his brush in front of him, as the two fists fire. They both converge on his location, but a sudden turn by Ika is able to save him from a direct hit.

Octavio then mumbles something out and the calamari bombs shoot out again. As the bombs all surround Ika, Callie then slams her hands on the mech again. The mech shakes, then shoots out four giant suction bombs. Ika backs up from the bombs and breaks a calamari bomb. He runs out of the blast zone just as the suction bombs explode.

Octavio's glare lowers slightly and mumbles "I swear, this squid has the luck of the devil fish." He then glares intently at Ika and says "**I THINK IT'S TIME TO TURN UP THE HEAT!**" Octavio goes to turn up the volume of his music, when another sound suddenly appears.

Ika turns around and nearly falls over in surprise as he sees Sheldon piloting a flying truck, Marie standing on top. She was in her stage gear and was holding a Hero Charger. She then yells down to Ika "Don't worry! I'm here now!" Ika, eyes now half-lidded in slight annoyance, mumbles "You don't say…"

Marie then becomes serious as she takes aim at Callie. A laser dot appears on Callie face, right where the shades are, and Marie takes a deep breath. Then, as she releases the trigger, a beam of ink rockets forwards and slams into the shades.

Callie screams and recoils as the beam hits the shades. Her head suddenly begins to pound, a giant headache hitting her brain. "Ooooohhhh…."

Octavio, true to the act, slams his wasabi sticks down in anger and yells "**NOOO! THE HYPNO-SHADES!**" Callie stumbles around, trying to regain her balance. She begins to sing her song, but it was a sloppy performance. She couldn't think straight.

Marie then says into her communicator. "It's up to you Ika! I need to sing so that Callie can't accidentally launch any powered up attacks." Ika nods and begins to run, waiting for the next attack.

Octavio growls in frustration and says "**TIME FOR DOUBLE TIME! TWICE THE BEATDOWNS PER MINUTE!**" Octavio then presses a button and the entire mech bursts to the side. As the mech does this, another spinning fist prepares to fire.

Ika is taken off guard by the sudden movement the mech just showed. Despite this though, he is still able to out maneuver the fist coming at him. But, just as he is about to see what Octavio would do next, he realizes that another fist was coming at him!

While Ika was preoccupied with the spinning fist, Octavio sent a normal fist to try and catch him off guard. He hoped the slower speed would cause Ika to drop his guard until he was too late. The fact that the fist was now flying back at him told him that the plan didn't work.

Callie, already off balance, slams against the stage. She moves to the back area and tries to stand. Her eyes widen suddenly and she puts hand over her mouth. She shakes some, then gasps in exhaustion. "Aaaaoooohhhhh…." She groans loudly as one hand holds her stomach and the other her head.

Marie, deciding it might be time to try and get Callie on their side again, pulls out a radio. She connects it to the truck's speakers and says "Try to remember Callie!" Marie then strikes her starting pose as the radio begins to play a remixed version of Calamari Inkantation. "That heavenly melody!"

Callie, recognizing the cue through the fog of her mind, replies shakily with "The… one and only…" She struggles to get in her pose, but the song seemed to be healing her. Her mind begins to clear up and her stomach settles. She smiles widely and super jumps to the truck. "I'M BACK!"

Callie lands on the truck, and is somehow in her normal stage outfit. Marie is slightly startled, but she doesn't question it. Instead, the two cousins begin to sing and dance the Calamari Inkantation, ready for the final phase of their plan.

Octavio can feel himself twitching and trying to dance. He wanted to so badly, but he had to at least activate the autopilot. He flicks a switch on his mech and he begins to rise up. "**I HATE TO DO THIS, BUT IT'S TIME TO D-D-D-DROP THE SEABASS!**" The mech flies up to a level much higher than what Ika could normally reach, but there were inkrails circling where Octavio was.

Ika is about to super jump up there, when he suddenly hears a drone. He looks up and sees one of Sheldon's drones flying down to him, a weapon case in hand. Ika jumps up and the case opens, a giant fish-shaped rocket launcher in hand.

Ika's eyes go wide as he realizes what he is holding. "Rainmaker…" Sheldon laughs and says "That's right, Ika! That is a modded version of the Rainmaker I made myself. Use it to take that Octo-punk out of the sky!" Ika smiles, then nods. He turns into a squid and launches himself up to the inkrails above.

Octavio, unable to control his mech due to him dancing now, could only launch the fists. Some were spinning, but some were not. Ika circles around the mech, jumping over every fist that spun and shooting back the ones that weren't. He was loving every moment of this. It seemed like such a good way to end a fight.

As Ika blasts another fist back to Octavio, the shield around it suddenly turns red. It flashes some, then breaks apart like glass. Octavio continues to dance, but his eyes widen. "**THE SHIELD! NOW THE FINAL VERSE COMES IN!**"

Ika raises an eyebrow, but then he realizes what was happening. Behind Octavio, a giant hatch opens up. Within it was a massive, octopus shaped bomb. Ika recognized it as the same bomb Whinter and Clementine used to break Octavio's shield the first time.

The bomb powers up, then shoots off at Ika. Ika charges a shot and fires the rocket into the bomb. The bomb turns red and rockets backwards towards Octavio. Octavio, true to his fashion, manages to uses his dance to deflect the bomb back to Ika.

Ika, expecting this, manages to get another shot charged. He watches as the bomb flies in a curve to try and avoid his shots, then fires. The shot hits the bomb head on and flies back to Ika. Octavio smacks it back and the bomb flies back to Ika.

Ika's eyes widen as he sees the bomb begin to fly at him from behind. He turns around, rainmaker in hand, then lines up with the bomb. The bomb gets within a few feet off Ika, then is sent flying back by the shot.

Octavio, overwhelmed by the bomb's speed, misses his deflect. The bomb explodes inside the booth and the whole mech begins to smoke. It begins to fall to the ground, electricity and smoke flowing out of the whole machine. It slams into the ground with a massive boom, Octavio falling on top of it.

Callie cheers as the mech is destroyed and Marie grins. She looks over to Ika, then her eyes widen. Ika was falling, and he was right over the edge of the arena. A pool of Octarian ink was down there!

Ika, taken off guard by the kickback of the Rainmaker and the awkward standing position he was in, managed to lose his balance on the rail. He is sent flying backwards as Octavio's mech begins to smoke and malfunction. He was falling right into a pool of ink.

Surprisingly, he didn't feel much. He was exhausted from the fight and he managed to save Inkopolis. Sure, there was the whole Chancellor thing, but he didn't seem to mind. He was going to find his death soon anyways.

Sheldon instantly sees what is happening and slams his foot on the gas pedal. The truck flies down at rocket speeds and is quickly catching up to Ika. Marie and Callie reach out, trying to grab for Ika. The two parties grow closer and closer until…

Callie smiles in relief as she grabs her brother's hand. Ika looks up and blinks. "I thought… I was a goner." Marie smiles and says "We can't be separated forever. We are the Cuttlefish family." Ika just smiles in tired relief.

The two cousins pull the exhausted agent onto the truck. Ika chuckles and says "I didn't feel this tired while fighting." Marie smiles and says "It must've been the adrenaline." She then activates her communicator and says "Come on Sheldon, let's go grab Octavio and head home."

Sheldon nods and turns the truck towards where the unconscious king was laying.

**-Tentakeel Outpost-**

Octavio glares in annoyance from his snowglobe. "I absolutely despise this thing." Marie just smirks and says "That's why we use it." Octavio just grumbles.

The group decided that they would wait a day or two before beginning an attack on the Chancellor's forces. They wanted any spies to truly believe that the agents still hated Octavio and the Octarians.

Suddenly, a loud splashing is heard. Callie, clad in her normal casual wear, goes over to the group grinning. She then says "The Zapfish is back, and so am I, officially. Sadly, none of my jobs are offering anything anymore. I think I may have to dedicate to turf wars."

Marie gasps in mock surprise, then smirks. "Oh? Seems like I'll have a partner then." Callie gasps and then yells "Wait, what?! You lost your jobs too?!"

Marie nods and says "I simply couldn't continue living like nothing happened to you. I quit my jobs and started trying to find a way to find you." Marie then smiles and says "But I'm ok with that. Turf wars give a lot of income and we have much more free time now!"

Callie was concerned about what Marie said, but then realizes she was right. This was honestly an improvement for them both. It would be much better now that they could be a permanent duo again.

Ika then smiles and says "Alright, I think we need to sleep some. That fight was exhausting, and I am ready to crash at any second." Ika was swaying on his feet, almost half asleep.

Callie giggles and says "Alright Ika, we can go sleep. Come on Marie!" Callie quickly pushes her brother inside the cabin, the sleepy agent protesting only slightly.

Marie giggles at her cousins' antics, then gets up. She smirks at Octavio and says "I left some ramen on the table. You can have it if you can get it." She then walks over to the cabin and enters.

Octavio watches as the group enters the warm cabin. Octavio looks over to the ramen, and his stomach growls. He lightly taps the glass, trying to find a way through. He eventually gives up and glares at the food. "I hate this thing." The night was filled with Octavio's fruitless tapping.

**-Author Notes-**

**This is probably the end of the Splatoon 2 arc. Things get much more complicated from here on out as the group begins to take on a Civil War, a war between Octavio and Octavius. Hope you liked how things played out in the Splatoon 2 arc! Give me some feedback if you'd liked the arc, or simply to give an opinion on the storyline as a whole. Anythings helps!**


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Two days have passed since Ika had defeated Octavio in the arena. Octavio had been released from his prison and Kai was rounding up the troops who managed to escape from the underground. Right now, Octavio had a third of his troops stationed in Beaker's Depot, well away from Cephalon HQ.

Octavio stares at the map that was laid on the table outside. Ika, Marie, and Callie were all around the map as well. Sheldon was watching from the side.

The map was one of Cephalon HQ, or Ceph City as the residents liked to call it. On the right side was the palace and next to that was the town hall, the headquarters of Octavius. The city measured at least 1 mile long and had various Xs placed around it.

Octavio points to a specific X and says "This kettle is the safest one for us to use. It is the farthest from any of the mind control devices and can allow us to get the army in without alerting Octavius."

Octavio then traces a line across the main road that leads to his palace. Numerous Xs were lined up alongside it. "Most Octarians live on this main road or in the barracks. It makes sense that Octavius would set up his mind control devices along there."

Then, circling a large plaza area outside his palace, Octavio says "If we can get down there and take control of the plaza, we have access to every other place in the city."

Octavio then looks at the agents with a serious expression and says "If we want to win this, we need to not only capture Octavius, but also destroy the mind control devices. Even one can control an infinite amount of Octarians." The agents all nod in understanding.

Octavio then looks over to Sheldon and says "You with the goggles. What's your name?" Sheldon rolls his eyes and says "Sheldon." Octavio nods and says "Right, right. Anyways, you almost got the shades done for my army."

Sheldon pulls out a tablet and looks it over. "I have nearly the number requested at my workshop. The assembly line is working fine and I should be able to get the weapons done soon."

Octavio nods in satisfaction. "Good. If things go well, we can attack tonight." Callie smiles and says "This seems really simple. We'll beat Octavius in no time!"

Octavio shakes his head, confusing Callie. "No Callie, it won't be that simple. Knowing Octavius, he'll have set off the devices and arm each Octarian available. They'll feel no fear and will only try to attack. This may be an ambush, but the residents are gonna be armed to the teeth."

Callie blinks, then frowns in nervousness. Maybe this won't be as simple as she thought. Marie notices this and smiles to her cousin. "Don't worry Callie. We'll be fine, and so will the Octolings." Callie nods and smiles. Her cousin always helped her feel calm again.

Suddenly, a loud splash is heard. Octavio looks behind him and finds that Kai had super jumped to Tentakeel Outpost. She bows to Octavio deeply and says "Lord Octavio, all the Octolings that we could find have been brought to Beaker's Depot. There are no signs of any other Octarians of your legion."

Octavio nods, then says "And Octari?" Kai stands up straight, then shakes her head sadly. "No signs of her." Octavio frowns and says "We'll have to send a search party out after this is done. I want to find where she went." Kai nods and says "Of course, my lord."

Octavio then looks to the agents and says "I suggest grabbing your strongest gear and get some rest. It'll be a long attack tonight." The agents nod, but before they get up, Ika says something he's been meaning to say.

"Um, Octavio?" Said DJ glances at Ika in slight interest. "How will you be able to attack your people? Don't you all use the same ink color?"

Octavio laughs and says "Simple! We have a special paralyzing ink that we can all produce. We will use it on the mind controlled Octarians. Sadly, Octavius will no doubt try to change their color. The Octarians will be able to splat us." Ika nods, satisfied. He then walks over to the cabin to get ready.

**-10 hours later. Time: 7:36 PM-**

The Octarians stationed within Beaker's Depot are all chatting amongst themselves. A small, makeshift stage was set up in front of them. Kai was peering out to the gathered and armed army from behind the curtains.

Kai looks back to Octavio and the agents and nods. Octavio nods back and moves forwards. He throws open the curtains and the Octarians instantly quiet down. Using his naturally loud voice, Octavio then begins his speech.

"My fellow Octarians! A great travesty has fallen upon us. One of own kind has betrayed us and gathered his own followers in and attempt to end the peace I have tried to uphold since the war. His name, is Octavius!"

The Octarians all growl at the name. Obviously none of them held Octavius in a good light. Octavio nods and says "He has a plan to mind control the remaining Octarians and bring them to the surface to start another Great Turf War! We cannot allow this to happen, and we all know how bad the first was!"

The Octarians all mumble in agreement. For Inklings and Octolings alike, the war was a massive event. Many died on both sides and it was a nightmare for those who remained.

Octavio then continues and says "To prevent this from happening, we must siege Ceph City tonight! With your shades you can prevent the mind control effects of Octavius's devices. With the use of your paralyzing ink, you can also stop the mind controlled Octolings from being splatted!"

"But, the same cannot be said about Octavius. The other Octolings will try to splat you, so be careful. And commanders, I hope you will debrief your squads about the attack plan." The numerous elites within the crowd all nod. Octavio, satisfied, then says "Alright then! We will meet at the rendezvous point I told you all of within the next half hour. Troops, dismissed!"

Octavio walks off as the Octarians all gather around their captains to be told of the plan. The agents walk up to Octavio, clad in their hero gear and ink color the same as the other Octarians. Ika then says "This plan seems really simple. Meet up, take the street, capture Octavius. Are you sure it'll work?"

Octavio nods and says "A simple plan is the best plan. Besides, Octavius will be unprepared. We simply need to capture him and destroy the devices." Ika frowns, but doesn't say anything. They had to hope this did work.

Octavio then turns to Ika and says "Hey, I have something for you. I only had the supplies for one, but it should come in handy." He reaches into a pocket in his robe, and then pulls out a set of shades. The flashing lights going across it instantly told him what it was. "Hypnoshades?"

Octavio nods and says "I removed the mind control from these. It instead will just boost you to boss levels, just like Callie's. Sadly, the materials needed to make these are extremely rare and only two could be made. Sorry Marie." Marie just shrugs. She could care less about that. She'd be sniping from the back anyways.

Ika smiles and accepts them gratefully "Thank you Octavio." Octavio just waves him off and says "Don't mention it. Just keep them safe, and I suggest using them in battle." Ika nods, then looks at his shades more closely.

The color was a more dark red, unlike the black that Callie's had. It had tiny little sparks of electricity coming off of it, which Ika figured was the boosting devices inside. He puts the shades on, then instantly gets shocked.

His body shakes violently as the shades take effect. The shoot electricity through him, and yet it wasn't damaging him. No, it seemed to be making him stronger. He felt like he could run from Inkopolis to Calamari County!

Callie giggles and says "It's quite the rush, isn't it?" Ika nods, grinning like an idiot. "It sure is! Wow, these are amazing!" Callie nods, then puts her shades on. Her body shakes violently, but much less than Ika.

Callie smirks and says "Well Iky, what'd ya say about dubstomping that Octavius jerk?" Ika grins and says "Oh yes. I am eager to test these." The two then run off, there weapons at the ready. Octavio shakes his head and Marie giggles lightly.

**-Rendezvous point-**

With one last blast of steam, the kettle deposits the last Octarian. The small army was all armed with various military-grade weapons. They all had special Octarian versions of the normal Inkling weapons. Some of the Octosnipers even had special string rays instead of chargers.

Octavio, now wearing his custom shutter shades, says "Alright. We need to move fast and take out those devices. It'll impair us greatly to not hear well." The commanders all nod, able to hear their king.

Octavio grips his Gold Octobrush and says "Let's go!" The agents and Octavio all move forwards and the army disperses. Some of the stronger squads were sent to break the devices that were away from the main road.

Ika looks around the dark side road they were on. Only the buildings had power, leaving the roads dark. No Octolings were around, and a single, ominous note was echoing across the city.

Callie frowns and says "This is giving me the heebie jeebies." Ika nods. "It's so quiet, and that single note is not helping things." Octavio, managing to hear their conversation through the song in his ears, says "Yes, I can imagine. It'll get better when we enter the main road."

The agents and the four squads of 10 behind them move slowly. Octavio looks back once and reflects on his decision. With only four squads, he was splitting the army up by over half. On top of that, his army was tiny compared to all the Octarians in the city. They were outnumbered at least 10 to 1. They would have to use the mindlessness of the mind control to their advantage.

After a few minutes, a light could be seen in the road. The army moves in relative silence and extreme caution until they could see the light. They were on a much larger road then before, able to contain all the group in that single area side-by-side. It led straight up to a massive palace, the entire way lit brightly.

Marie looks around, then frowns. "I don't see anyone. Something is wrong here." Ika nods and grips his Octobrush Remix tightly. "I don't like this one bit."

One of the commanders turns to the other Octarians and says "Stay on guard troops. Something isn't right." The closest Octarians relay the message, and soon all the Octarians are looking around cautiously and intensely.

The group moves along carefully, stopping only to break one of the many speakers throughout the area. The fact that no Octarians were present only served to unnerve the group more.

After many tense minutes of walking, the group is within the plaza. There they finally see the missing Octarians, but something was wrong. They all stood motionless next to multiple giant speakers. There were three of the speakers and they all were facing the road.

Ika raises and eyebrow and says "What's going on here?" Octavio frowns as he takes in the scene. "Something is definitely wrong here." Then, a sudden voice booms out. "Right you are Octavio!"

Every eye falls upon the steps to the palace behind the speakers. Octavius was walking down calmly, an inkzooka in hand. It seemed to be a special version that was permanent. He frowns at Octavio and says "I can't say I am surprised. I was expecting this little rebellion for a long time."

Octavio, unable to hear him from that distance, looks at Ika confused. Ika relays the message and Octavio growls. "Rebellion?! You turned on me and your whole race, you slimy swine!"

If Octavius was affected by the insult, he didn't show it. "I managed to find out when you were attacking. Information can be… so easily obtained when one looks hard enough." Octavio raises an eyebrow, then his eyes widen.

Standing next to Octavius was one of Octavio's greatest fighters, Ashe. She was grinning sadistically at the group. Octavio, filled with rage at this betrayal, says "General Ashe?! You are the rat in my army?!"

Ashe shrugs and says "I wanted more fighting. What better way then teaming up with the guy who'd bring it instead of some old, peace-loving hippie like you?" Octavio growls loudly at the insult.

Octavius puts a hand in front of Ashe and says "That is enough." Then, looking to the group, he says "With all of you here now, I can put my plans into motion." Callie then yells at the Chancellor "Hey Octo-jerk! Why don't you come down here and fight us like a real man!"

Octavius simply raises an eyebrow and says "Now why would I do that when I can make things so much more simple. Come on Ashe, we are going to the surface now." Octavius turns around and begins walking to the palace. Ashe grins at the group maniacally and waves.

Suddenly, the speakers in the plaza begin to shake. That's when Ika notices something about the speakers. No sound was coming from them! Ika turns to the group and says "RUN! Those speakers are Killer Wails!"

The group suddenly becomes anxious, and the three speakers settle down some. As they do this, faint rings could be seen around them. The rings were a different purple to the color the army was using and would splat them if they stayed in the blast zone.

The army screams, losing its formation as they all run for the alley ways. The speakers shake some more, and the rings deepen in color. The killer wails were almost ready to fire. Ika looks around in a panic. "We won't make it! The safe areas aren't close enough!"

Octavio then steps up and says "Ika, shades." Ika looks at Octavio in confusion, but quickly gives the shades to the old king. Octavio puts the shades on his head above the shutter shades. His body shakes, but then he breathes out.

Octavio glares at the speakers, then slams his hands together. As he does this, a large amount of ink begins to gather up inside the killer wails. It seemed these versions used giant laser beams of ink instead of the deadly sound waves. That flaw would be their downfall.

The killer wails emit the loud shriek that signals them firing, and the ink beams begin to shoot out in each direction. Octavio then slams his hands onto the ground and a giant pillar of ink shoots up.

The pillar of ink instantly begins to widen rapidly, moving faster than the agents could follow. The beams shot by the Killer Wails are blocked by this wall of ink, saving the army. Octavio goes to stand, then lets out a shuddering breath. He falls to the ground, the hypnoshades falling off his head.

Marie goes to help him and says "Are you alright?!" Octavio nods and says "T-That special just drains me by quite a bit. But now the army is safe. Ika! Callie! You need to follow Octavius and Ashe and stop his plans! It seems the Octarians are waking up."

As Octavio says this, the agents look over to the previously unmoving Octarians. They were all twitching and bringing their weapons up to firing position. It would only be a matter of time before they begin firing at the group.

Ika and Callie look at eachother, then nod. They begins running as fast as they can around the ink wall Octavio set up around the giant killer wails. They pass by the mind controlled Octarians without any resistance and hurry up the steps to the palace.

The army quickly begins deploying makeshift barriers to prepare for the attack. The Octarians were all now aiming at the small army, ready to fire. Octavio, helped by Marie, manages to get up the roof of a building. The two now look out as the armies aim at each other.

Then, a voice echoes throughout the city. "Fire." The simple word puts the mind controlled Octarians into action, and they all begins firing at the army. The barrier stops the shots and the army begins shooting back. Octavio frowns as he takes this in. "All hell has broken loose." He then glances at Marie who hands him a charger. He takes it, then says "Let's win this thing." The two line up a shot, then fire.

**-Author Notes-**

**It seems that despite their planning and predictions, the agents and Octavio's forces were ambushed by Octavius! Now with Ika and Callie chasing Octavius and Ashe to the surface, the armies begin fighting. Who will win this civil war between Octavio and Octavius? That is something that will eventually be revealed! Hope you enjoyed!**


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

The palace that Ika and Callie found themselves in was expansive and like a maze. It was only due to Callie being there for so long that they were able to navigate to the kettle room. "DJ had a room filled with kettles going everywhere in the area, but the one to Inkopolis was shut down. I bet that Chancellor guy managed to get that one working again," Callie explains.

The two turn a corner, then instantly slide to a halt. The room was lined with mind controlled Octarians, all of them being either a bomber or a commander. No Octolings were present. Ika looks out at the large group of Octarians and says "How do we get past this?" Callie looks, then smirks. "Leave it to me."

The Octarians were waiting for anyone to follow their master. They had one job, but then a singing starts to be heard. It breaks the mind control somewhat and the Octarians look in mild curiosity.

Callie suddenly lunges from her hiding spot, her Multi Bomb launcher on her back. The sight of an enemy instantly put the mind control back into play and the Octarians begin attacking. Callie runs expertly through the bombs and use her own ink to avoid the commanders.

All while she was avoiding the attacks, she was launching every multi bomb she could. Every single bomb found its target, instantly knocking any Octarian hit unconscious. Callie couldn't deny the rush she was getting from this.

Callie stops running at the end of the hallway, the entire floor covered in the army's purple ink. She was panting slightly and her face was flushed. "Now that is what I call a bomb rush blush." Ika runs to catch up with her, shaking his head at the little joke.

The two then turn to the massive door and begin to push it open. The door opens with no resistance and the two find themselves in a small room filled with kettles. Each kettle was labeled with a different location around Octo Canyon and Octo Valley. The largest one, the one in the far back, was the only one active. It led straight to Inkopolis.

Ika and Callie waste no time in running to the kettle. They jump inside and begin shooting back up to the surface, right where Inkopolis plaza was. As the two hop out, they notice they are on top of a building in the plaza. The sky was dark and the inklings were all dancing. They could see Pearl and Marina dancing on their stage.

Ika, his shades flashing in tune with the music, says "Seems like the Splatfest started while we were gone." Callie nods and says "True dat. Seems like we might have a crowd for this thing."

Ika looks around, wondering where Octavius and Ashe could've gone. Callie then taps his shoulder and points at the Battle Tower. The Great Zapfish was curled around the tower, sleeping contently. But as Ika looks closer, he could see Octavius and Ashe making their way to the tower.

The two siblings instantly begin running after Octavius and Ashe. "What is he doing? He's heading right for the Great Zapfish without any protection!" Callie frowns as her shades pick up something.

Octavius had stopped a few buildings away from the Great Zapfish. He had his inkzooka trailed at the giant catfish, and Callie suddenly had a bad feeling. "He's gonna blast the GZ off the tower!" Ika looks at Octavius for confirmation, then gasps in shock. Octavius was planning to kill the Great Zapfish!

Ika, knowing they were running out of time, takes out one of the Octarian's best weapons. It was the same charger that Callie used on Ika at the factory, the Tentacharger. Ika slides to a stop and takes aim as Callie continues running to the duo.

Octavius was finally finished arming his special inkzooka to kill the Great Zapfish, when he feels something. A feeling of dread comes over him, and he looks back behind him. His eyes widen when he sees Callie running at him and Ashe, Ika back behind them with a Tentacharger. The beam from the rifle was trained on his chest.

Octavius dives to the side as Ika releases the trigger. The beam of light purple ink just barely misses the traitorous Chancellor. Ika curses, then begins running. He wasn't gonna get another shot off with the two knowing he was there now.

Callie gets to the duo much sooner than Ika, but Ashe steps in front of her. Ashe had on a malicious grin and was rubbing gauntlets together in anticipation. "A boss powered inkling. I am so ready for this." Callie smirks, then says "Let's bring this somewhere else." Ashe nods and the two run to the next building over, ready to begin their battle.

**-Meanwhile in Ceph City-**

Marie flinches only slightly as her Tentacharger knocks down another Octarian. The note was dimming every ten minutes or so, but the battle was getting out of hand. The massive number advantage Octavius had on the army was overwhelming, and troops were going down fast.

An Octosniper in the back prepares its stringray for launch, when he is suddenly blown up by a giant tornado of ink. Marie instantly takes aim at the offending Octostriker and takes it down, its large body crashing into many of its allies.

Octavio fires his charger again and sees another Octocommander topple off of its perch. He looks to his army and sees that about 34 of the original 40 were present in the squads. Sadly, the enemies seemed to only lose about 30 of its hundreds.

Octavio, tired of sitting in the back and sniping, decides he's rested long enough. He gets up and, grabbing his Gold Octobrush, begins moving to the army. Marie looks over at the king and says "Where are you going?!" Octavio doesn't look back as he says "I am defending my kingdom. Besides, I do best in the front lines."

Before Marie has a chance to even process what Octavio said, Octavio turns into his octopus form. He compresses himself, then launches high into the air, the roof beneath him cracking from the force.

Octavio turns back into his humanoid form and looks down at the mass of Octarians far below him. So far, none of either army noticed he was up in the air. He clicks a button on his ink tank, and his hand begins to glow purple. He reaches up and forms a small ball of energized ink in his hands.

Octavio looks back down, and then yells. "HAAAA!" With that yell, he rockets back down to the ground at insane speeds. A large reticle appears in the middle of the mind controlled Octarians. The controlled Octarians look at it in curiosity, then they hear the yelling.

Faster the eye could follow, Octavio slams into the ground with tremendous force. The ball of ink was slammed into the ground and a MASSIVE shockwave of ink explodes around Octavio. The Octarians around him are sent flying backwards by the explosion of ink, each one in the blast radius instantly knocked out.

The mind controlled Octarians around Octavio that weren't hit instantly begin firing at him. Octavio begins running at extreme speeds, weaving in and out of the shots. He flinches every time a pellet of ink hits him, but it doesn't slow him down.

Octavio reaches the army of Octarians in a couple seconds. He instantly begins sending out wave after wave of paralyzing ink. He was knocking down the whole area with his attacks. Then, after about the 50th Octarian was knocked out, he gets slammed in the back with a blast of ink.

The enemy charger mindlessly lowers her charger, then takes aim again. She charge it slowly, then hears the click of it begin ready. She releases the trigger, and the rifle fires. Octavio watches with wide eyes as the beam of ink flies at him.

Suddenly, a stream of purple lands in front of him. The ink splatters, but no one was hit. Kai was standing in front of her king, her arms crossed. A bubbler shield was surrounding her and Octavio.

She shakes the ink off of her body, then turns to Octavio. She helps him back on his feet and Octavio says "Thank you, General Kai. You just saved this old octopus's life." Kai bows and says "It was my duty, but now we must fight." Octavio nods and grips his brush tightly.

The two look at the advancing Octarians around them. It was a small group compared to the rest of the mind controlled Octarians as a whole, but it was still a large amount. Kai presses a button on her ink tank and watches as her gauntlets get coated in a thick layer of ink. Octavio and Kai then burst forwards, ready to take on the horde around them.

**-Inkopolis-**

Ika watches as Ashe and Callie move to another building to battle. "_Damn it Callie! I need your help with this!" _Despite his complaining, Callie wouldn't be moving back until her battle was finished.

Ika jumps over another gap between the buildings, then rolls to the side instantly. A small tornado of ink flies past him, just barely missing him. Ika stands back up and stares at Octavius. The Chancellor simply looks at Ika in annoyance and says "Why must you be such a bother."

Ika growls and says "Maybe if you weren't so hell-bent on war, I wouldn't bother you." Octavius's eyes narrow slightly and he says "The war will bring the Octarians what we rightfully deserve, what we was stolen from us by you filthy squids!"

Ika frowns, then says "We won the war once already! What makes you think you can do it again when we have around double the fighters this time around?" The turf war fighters would no doubt fight for Inkopolis. Almost every Inkling here was adept in some form of fighting.

Octavius suddenly grins and yells out "Because this time, the Great Zapfish will be gone!" Ika narrows his eyes. "What does this have to do with the Great Zapfish?"

Octavius laughs and Ika is suddenly reminded of some shows of insane squids in asylums. This guy was no different. "The Great Zapfish, a source of infinite energy! Such a wondrous creature to behold, but sadly it is too valuable. We Octarians could never keep it secure with its home being on that little tower of yours. So, I'll do the next best thing. I will eliminate Inkopolis's main power source!"

Ika's eyes widen slightly as what Octavius says sinks in. Octavius grins even wider, realizing Ika was understanding. "Yes, without the Great Zapfish, all of your technology will be broken. No respawning, no one coming back. People will die within the thousands as the teams fight each other in this little Splatfest festival!"

Ika shakes his head, then yells "No! I won't let you do this!" Octavius's grin doesn't drop as he brandishes his inkzooka. "If you think you can stop me, then come at me Inkling!"

Ika growls, then takes off. More than the Octarians lives were at stake now. Thousands could die if the respawns suddenly lost all power, and it was a threat Ika couldn't let pass. He was going to defend Inkopolis to the very end.

**-Author Notes-**

**Things are heating up and soon will reach its climax. Three different battles are taking place, and the lives of thousands of Octarians and Inklings are on the lines. Leave a review if you are like how things are going! Thanks for reading!**


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

The first thing Callie noticed about her opponent was that had no visible weapon. Callie may have been integrated into the ranks of Octavio's army, but she tended to stay close to Kai and Octavio, refraining from knowing the other Octarians.

Ashe simply hops from one foot to the next, seemingly warming up. She had her tentacles tied into a high ponytail, well away from her body. She had on the standard Octoling armor, but her shoes seemed strange. Along with that, something was up with her belt.

Callie, despite the shades giving her a very cocky and arrogant personality, decided to remain cautious. The situation was breaking through the changes and Callie was more serious than she's ever been.

Ashe stops bouncing around, then grins at Callie again. "Let's go." With that simple sentence, Ashe takes off like a rocket. Callie's eyes widen behind her shades as Ashe seems to suddenly appear in front of her. Then, Ashe slams her fist into Callie's stomach. Callie retches and purple ink flies out of her mouth.

Ashe steps back, a satisfied grin on her face. Callie clutches her stomach, the pain washing through her immense. She looks back at Ashe, her eyes visible from Ashe's angle. They flash purple, and Callie flips over.

The traitorous octoling leaps back as a Krak-On Roller appears in Callie's hand. Despite Ashe's efforts, the wave of ink flies much farther than a normal roller would send it. The ink hits Ashe's boots and Ashe realizes how strong her opponent is.

Instead of getting worried, Ashe just grins wider. "Now things are getting interesting." Ashe puts a foot behind her, then speeds off again. Callie, not taken by surprise by the speed Ashe showed, was able to follow her movements.

Callie brings her roller back in preparation to attack, when Ashe suddenly disappears. Callie's eyes widen and she feels a sudden pain on her back. She is sent flying across the roof as Ashe slams her fist into Callie's back.

Ashe, not satisfied just yet, disappears once again. She reappears in front of Callie and slams her fist into the squid's body. Callie flies back again and Ashe repeats the process. Soon, Callie is turned into little more than a pinball as Ashe overwhelms her completely.

The beating Callie was taking was immense. She was getting thrown around like trash. Her shades, despite somehow being on her head still, was not giving her the changes she thought. Her eyes tear up in pain and despair as she is sent flying by another hit. "_I-I'm such a b-burden. Why can't I-I fight one. Stupid. Octoling!" _

Callie's mind was in turmoil from the combined effects of the pain and her own doubt. She had no clue on how to defeat this seemingly invincible Octoling. Ashe, finding herself getting bored, decides to end things.

As she sends Callie flying back once more, she runs into position. Callie glances at the octoling and notices that she was glowing. A ball of ink had appeared in her hands and Callie knew what was going to happen. "_N-NO! I can't end it like this! I won't die, not when everyone needs me!"_

Suddenly filled with determination from the deadly attack, Callie finds some of her strength. She turns midair and, grabbing a multi bomb from her pack, holds it tightly. She watches as Ashe jumps in the air, ready to come down instantly as Callie passes her.

Callie waits as she passes beneath Ashe. Ashe grins, then rockets to the ground. As Ashe does this, Callie throws her bomb beneath her. The bomb explodes right before Ashe hits Callie and Callie is sent flying away from the splash zone. Ashe, not expecting the bomb, is sent flying by the explosion before she can hit the ground.

Callie groans as she gets up. She looks at the roof, then notices for the first time that trails of dark purple were all over. Specifically, the trails were all the places Ashe had ran. Callie looks over to Ashe as the octoling gets up and notices that ink was coming out of holes in the bottom.

"_She has ink-propelled boots! No wonder she is so fast. I need to break her speed somehow." _Callie racks her brain for a solution, then decides on something. She reaches behind her and takes out two ink mines. She places them next to her, then pulls out her multi bomb launcher.

Ashe, at this point well recovered from the explosion, shakes some of the ink off of her. She looks at a device on her wrist and sees that her armor was damaged quite a bit from that bomb. She scowls, then looks at Callie. Her eyes widen when she sees Callie begin firing multi bombs at a rapid pace.

Ashe instantly begins running around, expertly avoiding each bomb's blast. Callie on the other hand was expecting this and placed the mines as a precaution. As Ashe gets close to Callie's side, she notices the black colored inkling smirking at her. Ashe's eyes widen as a beep is heard and the mine below explodes.

The ink below Callie bursts out in every direction, the force sending Ashe flying backwards. Her shades flash red and beep quietly, telling Ashe that her armor was broken. Any hits from here on out would be lethal.

Ashe wasn't going to let this slide. She was the Octarian's greatest fighter! She would not be bested by some countryside pop star! Ashe growls, rage clearly evident in her eyes and she bursts straight towards Callie.

Callie, seeing the charge coming, steps to the side. She had hoped to catch Ashe with the last mine and end the fight right there. Sadly, Ashe is able to see through the trap and quickly changes course, looping around Callie and tackling her, making them both slide across the roof.

Ashe grips Callie's throat with one hand and begins pummeling her. Her fists slam into Callie's face with increased force. It took everything Callie had not to cry out with each hit. She instead focused on the fact that she had an ace.

Ashe, after a brutal beatdown, notices Callie still hasn't cried out. She roars and screams "WHY. WON'T. YOU. DIE!" Every word was enunciated with a punch. Callie just laughs, which confuses Ashe immensely.

Callie cracks one eye open, staring through the somehow intact shades. "You… forget. I have… a Krak-On Roller." Ashe raises an eyebrow, then blanches as she sees Callie press a button on her ink tank. "No! No no no no NOOO!" Ashe reaches out to stop her, but she was too late.

Callie begins to get covered in ink, then twists suddenly. Ashe is sent flying across the roof and slams into a pipe. Her breath leaves her in an instance and she clutches her bruised stomach. She looks back to Callie and her eyes widen in fear.

Callie had transformed into a giant, magenta colored squid. She was glaring at Ashe with an intensity that made even the psychopathic octoling shiver in fear. Callie then roars and moves towards Ashe with incredible speed.

Ashe screams as she sees the Kraken approaching her. She tries to get up, then is slammed to the side by a giant tentacle. Ashe rolls across the roof again and her back slams into an adjacent building. Ashe shakes her head, then looks up. A giant tentacle was descending upon her. With one last yell of fear, Ashe is splatted into a puddle of magenta ink.

The Kraken glares at the puddle, then glows. The ink leaves Callie's body and the battered inkling falls onto the ground. She didn't even have the energy to fall back into her ink to heal. She turns her head and looks where Ika and Octavius were. "_Good luck Ika. I know you can save us."_

**-Author Notes-**

**I know this was a short fight, but this battle was not of very much significance. Next chapter we check back in with the two armies fighting down in Ceph City. Thanks for reading and please leave a review!**


	29. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

While the battles in Inkopolis were occuring, the two armies fought with increasingly more casualties. A lone Octoling peeks over her cover then ducks back under instantly. A barrage of ink flies over her head, fired by an Octocommander. One of their Octosnipers prepares a stingray, then launches. The beam sweeps over the whole front line and knocks a lot of the enemy Octarians unconscious.

Over on the side in a more isolated area, Kai and Octavio were still fighting hard. The Octarians had managed to get some ink on them, but the two were still going strong. Octavio, using his naturally immense speed and power rockets around the group, knocking down Octarians left and right.

Kai on the other hand had similar devices that Ashe used. Using the ink propelled boots, she would constantly change position and avoid attacks. Even inkstrikes were easily avoided. Kai activates her boosters to avoid another barrage of ink and slams her fist into the Octoling. He instantly falls unconscious.

Kai turns to attack another Octoling, when she hears something roll next to her. She looks down and gasps slightly. A splat bomb had rolled next to her and was close to exploding. Kai bursts backwards, but she is still caught in the blast zone.

Kai blasts backwards and rolls on the ground. She only goes a few feet before falling into a pool of dark purple ink. Since the ink Kai and Octavio were using was light purple, this began damaging her. Luckily, she did not fall into the ink face first.

Kai picks herself up, then reflexively jumps back as a charger shot just misses her. She scowls, then takes off away from the charger. They were her biggest enemy since they were situated behind the giant group of Octarians.

Octavio himself was fairing a little better. His brush's giant spread was able to knock down multiple Octarians at once, but he was also slower than Kai. Natural abilities can take you only so far.

Octavio jumps to the side to avoid a burst bomb, then swings his brush. The ink wave takes out at least seven Octarians before more began firing. It was a miracle he was avoiding all the shots being fired.

The Octo king jumps back to the middle of their little arena, Kai doing the same. Octavio looks back at his number general, then gets an idea. "Kai." Kai glances back once but keeps her eyes on the slowly advancing Octarians.

Octavio shuffles on his feet slightly, then says "I am going to turn into my octopus form. When I do that, swing me around as hard as you can. Once you can't anymore, release." Kai raises an eyebrow but nods. Her king was a master battle planner and she was certain he had something effective in mind.

Octavio shrinks down and turns into his Octopus form. Despite his size difference between forms, he was still the same height as Kai. Octavio gives her a tentacle and Kai grabs it tight. Then, she begins spinning herself around, Octavio following.

Octavio laughs as he turns his body into ink slightly, his tentacle fully solid so Kai doesn't lose her grip. Kai's eyes widen as the ink coated Octavio begins slamming into the circle of Octarians, knocking them all down instantly "_So that was his plan!"_ Kai smiles slightly and spins even faster, causing Octavio to move quicker. And, due to the elasticity shown in an Octarian's octopus form, Octavio reached even farther with the increased speed.

Eventually, after a good seventy Octarians are knocked down, Kai couldn't hold on. She lets go of Octavio and the king flies into the Octarians, every single one in his path knocked down. Octavio reverts back to his humanoid form as he lands and instantly begins coating the enemies in ink. Things were going well so far.

**-Elsewhere in Ceph City-**

Commander Darwin was an expert in tactics. Along with his quick mind, he was an excellent shot with an N'Zap. He could hit a can from over a hundred meters.

He was with his crew of eight Octarians. He had four Octolings, one male and three female, two Twintacle troopers, one Octocommander, and one Octo bomber.

The Octo bomber looks around and says "How close are we to that last device commander?" Darwin looks at his map and finds the last X to be around the weapons factory. He looks at the blinking dot representing his position and says "We are about three blocks away. Keep an eye out troops. It seems odd that we've met no resistance so far."

All of his squad peers around in caution. It was odd that they hadn't met any resistance with disabling the devices. It stands to reason that at least one would be guarded.

After a couple more minutes of careful walking, the squad opens up to a much larger area. A massive factory loomed over them, a stream of purple ink powering the ink turbine in the back. The X showed that the final device would be inside.

The squad moves cautiously to the door to the factory. Darwin pushes on the door experimentally and the doors swings open slowly. No sounds could be heard, but that seemed to unnerve the troops even more.

Darwin switches a light on his the front of his gun on and swings it around. The factory was massive and he couldn't see the end. There was an assembly line to his left and a large amount of boxes to his right.

He keeps his light moving, searching for any sign of hostile activity. After deeming it safe enough, he gestures for his squad to keep moving. The darkness of the factory kept the squad on edge, each one of them searching for another sign of attack.

These few tense minutes of walking was finished as a large speakers come into sight. It was playing a single note, barely audible through the Calamari Inkantation in his ears. He looks at the Octo bomber and nods. The Octo bomber nods, then spits out a splat bomb at the speaker. The splat bomb lands on top of the speaker and then explodes, ink covering the wires. The speaker begins smoking and soon it turns off.

Darwin breathes a sigh of relief, then looks at his map. According to the data from other squads, that was the last mind control device. Darwin, wanting to be sure, takes a risk. He clicks a button on his shades and the Calamari Inkantation turns off. Darwin listens carefully for any strange noise, then smiles. The note was gone.

Darwin smiles at his group and says "Mission accomplished. We did it." The squad cheers and begins to leave to the factory. They never notice the pool of purple ink in the back, a strange looking metal triangle sticking out from it.

**-Ceph City Square-**

Octavio slams his brush into another advancing Octoling, then ducks under a bomb that was lobbed at him. He takes out a suction bomb and throws it onto the Octo bomber, taking it out shortly after.

Suddenly, Octavio notices something. The Octarians had all slowed down immensely and were clutching their heads in what appeared to be pain. The Octarian regulars simple were gasping like a fish on land and the Octolings were all gritting their beaks.

Kai moves next to Octavio and looks around in confusion. Then, Kai notices something. Since she was a hybrid, the note didn't have any effect on her. As such, she had no reason to listen to the Calamari Inkantation to drown it out. But now, she noticed that the note was not there. The devices were all off!

The various Octarians eventually stop clutching their heads, then look around in confusion. One Octoling holding a standard Octo shot says "W-What happened?" The crowd begins to mumble in confusion, then they notice their fallen comrades. The confusion quickly escalates to panic as they look around for their attacker.

Kai tells Octavio what happened and Octavio turns his shades off. He then yells. "**QUITE DOWN!**" The Octarians instantly settle down as they recognize their king. They all look at Octavio as he says "Don't panic! You comrades are all unconscious, nothing is wrong."

"You all were mind controlled by Octavius Corall, the Chancellor. He is a traitor and tried to use you all to war against the Inklings against your wills." The Octarians all mumble to themselves, anger clearly evident in their voices.

Octavio then continues with "Octavius is being taken care of as we speak. He is being apprehended by Agent 7 and Agent 1. He won't last long." The Octarians all make sounds of agreement. The Agents of the Squidbeak Splatoon were legends in terms of abilities.

Octavio then says "Take your comrades and recover. We will sort things out soon." The Octarians look at each other and eventually the crowd disperses. Octavio sighs, then sits on the ground. "I am much too old for this."

Suddenly, a loud beeping is heard. Kai looks at her wrist device and gasps "Darwin's squad is in trouble. Sorry for this Lord Octavio, but I need to help them." Octavio just waves her off. The adrenaline was leaving his body and he was beginning to feel the after effects of the battle. Kai nods in thanks and turns around, rocketing towards the weapons factory.

**-Octarian Weapons Factory-**

Kai slides to a halt outside the factory. She looks around, then notices one of the Twintacles hiding behind a box. Kai run over and says "What's going on?!" The Twintacle looks at her with fear and says "An Octomaw was in there! It's already gotten Travis and Lyle!" Kai knew the squad well enough to know that Travis was the male Octoling and Lyle was the other Twintacle.

Kai thanks the Twintacle and leaves him there. He was a new recruit and he wasn't going to be thrust into such a threatening situation like this. Kai bursts into the factory and takes in what was happening.

Darwin was running away from what seemed to be a small set of eyes in a giant trail of ink. The Octocommander was trying to slow the maw down, but nothing was working. The Max continues on its chase relentlessly.

The Maw quickly catches up with Darwin and dives into the ink. Darwin instantly thrusts himself to the side, just barely avoiding the circle of metal teeth that pops up from the ink. The Maw closes its mouth and seems to grin for a bit before diving back into the ink.

Kai runs forwards, intent on getting the Maw's attention. The Maw was currently swimming at the Octocommander, finding the pellets of ink to be very annoying. The Octocommander, despite seeing the Maw getting close, did not deter from its job. He would keep fighting until he died.

The teeth appears around the commander and the commander looks out at his comrades. His assault platform wasn't able to get out fast enough and he knew things were ending. The commander smiles and says "It was an honor serving you Darwin." Then, the Maw erupts from the ground and closes its mouth around the commander. It smiles, then dives back into the ink. Only the assault platform remained.

Darwin's eyes widen in tears as he sees the commander go down. He suddenly grits his beak and screams "NOOOO!" He runs forwards at the Maw, ignoring Kai's yells to stop. He sees the Maw dive into the ink, then watches as the metal teeth appears around him. He drops a bomb down below him, then closes his eyes.

Then, just as the Maw begins to come out of the ground, Kai jumps over the teeth and grabs Darwin. They just barely miss the jaws of the machine.

Kai lands on the ground and scowls at the captain. "That was a very idiotic move there commander!" Darwin blushes and simply looks away. Kai lowers him to the ground, then jumps slightly as a boom is heard.

She looks over to the Maw and finds its jaws open wide, the controlling tentacle outside. Kai instantly runs over and charges up a punch. As she gets close, she slams her fist into the Maw and the tentacle explodes.

The Maw suddenly erupts from the ground and its teeth shatter. Kai simply watches, grim-faced, as the Maw begins to expand. It smiles a toothless grin, then explodes in a shower of light purple ink.

The squad is relieved to see the Maw defeated, but they were too upset about their losses to celebrate. The squad all retrieve various pieces of gear left behind by the splatted squad members. They take extra care for the commander's assault platform.

Darwin, still ashamed by what he did, didn't notice the end of the Maw. Then, he suddenly feels a hand on his shoulder. He looks over and finds Kai holding a hand out, a small smile on her face. Darwin hesitates, then grabs her hand. Kai pulls him up and escorts him out of the factory.

Darwin was still unsmiling as they moved along. Kai notices that the expression held more than grief and says "Darwin? You OK?" Darwin frowns deeply and says "I just lost three members, each one an amazing person. I let my whole squad down."

Kai's eyes grow filled with worry. She knew this feeling all to well. She places a hand on Darwin's hand and says "I understand. You feel like since you led the team, their deaths are on you." Darwin looks away, uncertain how to feel. She hit the nail right on the head.

Kai turns Darwin to look at her and says "Don't let it get to you too much. Honor their memory by fighting on, fighting for what you believe is right. They were proud to go down in the service of such an amazing commander."

Darwin blushes slightly and nods. He understood what she was saying, but it didn't take any of the pain away. Kai puts her arm around Darwin and says "Come on, we need to get back. This war is over and you can mourn then. And remember, I am always here if you need help."

Darwin nods again and smiles only slightly. He knew he could rely on Kai for help. She was an amazing person overall, not just a good fighter. The squad continues onto the plaza without anymore disturbances. The war was over and it was time to rest.

**-Author Notes-**

**The war ended in Ceph City, but one more crucial battle is taking place. Octavius is out to kill the Great Zapfish and Ika is the only one who can stop him. The final chapter for this war is coming next.**

**Also, I can't write emotional stuff well! ~ Still, I hope you all enjoyed!**


	30. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Lights were flashing, inklings were dancing, and everything was amazing. The Splatfest was an amazing celebration and inklings from all over came to participate, even old war veterans. But in this particular Splatfest, something big was happening behind the scenes.

Octavius was grinning like the madman he was, staring down the black haired agent in front of him. He suddenly gains a much more smug expression and says "I've heard many stories of your abilities, Agent 7. I must say, I am very impressed. Not many people can be as stealthy as you can."

Then, Octavius suddenly pulls out a device. It looked like a Splattershot barrel. Octavius slide the barrel into place under his Inkzooka and smiles contently. "Now, I have a little more than those inkzooka blasts." He glances at Ika again, smug smile still in place. Then, Octavius fires his Inkzooka.

Ika scowls and rolls to the side, easily avoiding the blast. His shades beep loudly as Octavius fires another shot, but then Octavius also begins firing with the Splattershot on the other side. Ika, blocked in on both sides, super jumps into the air, far above the blasts.

Ika turns back into his humanoid form and decides to test his new shades out. He puts a ball of ink into his hands, then rockets to the ground. Octavius's eyes widen as he sees the Splashdown reticle appear and instantly swims back.

As Ika lands, he takes notice of Octavius aiming once more. Ika dives into his ink and goes to the side, just as the tornado is launched. Ika grips his brush tightly and runs at the traitorous Octoling.

Octavius on the other hand just smiles. He presses a button on his Inkzooka and something shimmers around him. Ika yells and swings his brush, coating Octavius in ink. Ika stares with grim eyes, then steps back in shock. A bubbler shield had appeared around Octavius, leaving him completely unharmed.

Octavius laughs when he sees the look on Ika's face. "HAHAHA! You really thought I wouldn't be prepared for a fight?! Now then, let me show you how futile your efforts are." Octavius grins widely and begins charging up his Inkzooka. Ika tenses himself to dodge, when he notices the Inkzooka begin transforming. Suddenly, a stingray was in Octavius's hands.

Ika's eyes widen and he throws himself to the side, just the beam of ink flies past him. Octavius just grins and begins tracking Ika with the deadly beam. Ika scrambles up from the ground and instantly takes off.

This stingray seemed to be upgraded in some way. Octavius could easily move it from side to side, making it really difficult to avoid. Luckily, Ika was as slimy as an eel and constantly slipped away.

After avoiding another sweep of the beam, Ika suddenly changes direction. Octavius's smiles doesn't falter and he simply begins bringing the beam towards Ika. Ika, his eyes filled with determination, pulls out a multi bomb. Octavius's smile falters, then drops completely as the multi bomb is lobbed at him.

Ika instantly begins swimming around Octavius, expecting the shield to be up again. Octavius smiles as the shield works its magic, then frowns. Ika was nowhere in sight and that was unsettling.

Suddenly, Ika pops up behind Octavius, ink brush prepped for a swing. Maybe it was some sixth sense, or some primal sense of danger. Octavius suddenly ducks, ink flying over his head. He flinches as he feels a speck of ink land on one of his tentacles.

Ika scowls as he sees his attack avoided again. He could tell that Octavius wasn't wearing any armor and a single, well-placed attack would end him. Octavius obviously also knew this.

Octavius, knowing where Ika was know, swings his Inkzooka back with as much force as possible. Ika registers this and ducks down. Octavius's balance is lost as his attack finds no resistance, and Ika quickly takes him down.

Ika looms over Octavius and frowns. He brings his brush up to end things, when he notices that Octavius was grinning. Ika looks over to his hands and his eyes widen as he sees a splat bomb in Octavius's hand.

Ika jumps back right as the bomb explodes. He's sent flying across the roof, the whole front of his body covered in ink. Luckily, his armor stopped some of it.

The agent shakes his head, then notices he is on the edge of the building. A large crowd of inklings was gathered below and Ika could see that Pearl and Marina were still performing. Ika stares at the two for a bit, until he suddenly feels himself pulled backwards.

Octavius tosses Ika unceremoniously onto the middle of the stage. He stalks forwards, his face an expression of perfect confidence. "I do hope you cease this ridiculous struggling. My weapons and inventions are second to none and no one can hope to beat me with them."

Ika stares at the Chancellor, his expression set into a scowl. He begins circling the crazed inventor, said Octoling simply watching with a smile. Ika's eyes widen suddenly and he smirks. "Oh, those inventions aren't anything special. Little more than cheap knock-offs of the real thing."

Octavius's eye twitches suddenly and he yells "Cheap-knock offs?! I'll show you cheap kno-" Octavius rant was interrupted as he feels a force hit him from behind. He falls to the ground, grabbing his back in pain.

Callie was behind Octavius, her breath coming in heavily. Her shades were cracked on one side, the tint faded and allowing Ika to see her eye. Ika then notices that her Krak-On Roller wasn't with her.

Ika smiles and says "Thanks for the save, but where's your roller?" Callie points to the ink covered roof across from this one and says "I… I can barely stand. I could...couldn't lug that… thing around." Ika nods. Callie seemed extremely winded.

Ika watches as Octavius gets up again and says "Go get some help. I'll hold him off as long as I can." Callie nods and turns into a squid. She compresses herself, then launches into the air. She was heading straight for the crowd below.

Octavius shakes his head, then growls. "Attacking me while distracted?! A dirty move." Ika grimaces and says "The only thing dirty here is your breath. I can smell the fish from here."

Octavius growls and puts up his Inkzooka. Ika prepares to run, when the Inkzooka barrel shifts again. This time, a megaphone appears on the end.

Ika rolls his eyes and says "Not another Killer Wail. I seem to be getting hit by those all the time." Octavius doesn't react and simply fires the deadly sound waves.

Ika runs to the side, expecting the dodge to be easy. His eyes widen when he sees Octavius moving the Killer Wail blast with seeming ease. The sound wave were following him now.

**-Down Below-**

The battle above couldn't be heard over the sound of music and couldn't be seen from the lights flashing everywhere. Pearl and Marina had just finished their song and were waving to the crowd. Marina smiles warmly and says "Me and Pearlie are gonna take a break. Go have fun battling in the meantime!" The inklings cheer and the crowd begins dispersing slightly, some staying and some to go batlle for their team.

Pearl grins at Marina and says "These concerts are so much fun to do. I love being able to do our songs like this." Marina nods and says "Yes, it certainly is a lot of fun."

The two keep chatting, moving to their studio room. They take a seat in their respective chairs and keep chatting about certain things. Some inklings watched them, but most went to do their own thing.

Pearl smirks at Marina and says "I doubt you could handle a blaster. The knock-back would throw you off so much. It doesn't help with that… extra weight up front adding to the fall."

Marina blushes and screams "Pearlie! I thought we agreed not to talk about that! It's embarrassing!" Pearl just grins.

Marina puts one of her tentacles behind her ears and says "But I could handle a blaster. I've trained with all the weapon types."

Pearl laughs and says "I'll believe that you're good at everything when squids start falling from the sky." Suddenly, a loud _splat _is heard on the window. Pearl and Marina jump, startled. They look at the window and find a large splash of light purple ink. A familiar looking squid with cross-shaped pupils was in the middle.

Marina instantly gets up to go help Callie out. Pearl looks between the two, then gets up and follows. "This doesn't prove anything Marina!"

Pearl steps outside their studio building and finds Marina holding the exhausted squid. Marina places Callie on the ground and Callie reverts back to her humanoid form. Her body was covered in scrapes and bruises, multiple areas swelling. Dark purple ink splotches could be seen on her agent gear and some of her skin.

Marina gasps in shock and Pearl grimaces. She looks to the alley behind them and says "This way! We don't need to make a commotion." Callie nods and limps forwards to the alley. Marina and Pearl quickly assist her.

Callie drops to the ground, exhausted. Marina looks at her with worry and says "What happened to you Callie?!" Callie looks up, her visible eye showing obvious pain. "Th…. There was a fight. Ika…. needs your help. On top of…. Ammo Knights."

Callie suddenly passes out cold. Marina looks at Callie in worry and says "Callie?! Callie!" Pearl puts a hand on Marina's shoulder and says "Get Callie to the hospital asap. I'll go help Ika." Marina nods, her eyes tearing up slightly. Marina picks up Callie and instantly begins running to the hospital. Many inklings gasp in shock at the battered form of their idol, but Marina ignores them. Pearl looks over to Ammo Knights and notices a splash of ink on the roof. She turns into her squid form, compresses, then takes off.

**-On top of Ammo Knights-**

Another explosion of ink rockets up and Ika is sent flying back again. Octavius switches his Inkzooka back to normal, but now he had a multi bomb launcher. The roof was littered with dark purple ink and Ika had time to put his brush down and run.

Ika flies back as another mini bomb slams into him. He rolls across the roof and slams into a pipe jutting out from the roof. His breath is instantly knocked out of him and he grips his stomach tightly. Ika goes to stand up, when he is suddenly pushed to the ground.

Octavius sneers at the agent beneath his boot and says "You boy have no clue what you are doing. No amount of skill will help you." Ika looks up, bleary eyed, his body filled with pain and bruises.

Octavius slams his boot onto Ika's head, slamming it into the ground. Ika cries out as his nose bends awkwardly, blood streaming out of it. Octavius then grips Ika by his tentacles and lifts him in the air. Ika screams even louder as his sensitive tentacles begin getting pulled tightly. Octavius brings Ika closes to his face and sneers again. "It's over inkling."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Octavius looks to the side, wondering where the sudden voice came from, when he gets slammed in the face with a white sneaker. He is sent flying back as a result.

Pearl reaches down and helps Ika back up to his feet. She looks at his battered body in worry and says "Dude, why didn't you heal." Ika breathes in shakily, his broken nose causing his breath to come in painfully. "My body… it reached its limits. I can't heal from ink anymore."

Pearl grimaces and says "Man, take about a beatdown." Ika nods. Pearl then helps Ika to the side and says "Rest here while I take care of this loser." Ika doesn't complain and simply falls to the ground. Pearl goes to turn away, when she suddenly thinks of something. She turns back to Ika and pulls out a bottle some sort of pink liquid. She hands it to Ika and says "Incase I begin to get too trigger happy, use that so you can turn to my ink color and not get splatted." Ika's eyes widen and he nods.

Pearl then turns to Octavius who had well recovered by now. She grins and says "Heyo Octopunk! Pearl is in the house, ready to kick your sorry ass!"

Octavius seems to grimace and frown at the same time. "I'm sorry, who are you?" Pearl rolls her eyes and says "Name's Pearl Pygmy! Number one rapper in all of Inkopolis, part of the famous Off the Hook duo, and the inkling who's about to blast you into next week!"

Octavius growls and says "Great, another annoyance in my plans. Guess I have to splat the both of you to proceed." Pearl grins and simply brings out her blaster. She then smirks and puts her hands in a 'bring it' gesture. Octavius happily obliges.

Pearl jumps to the side as tornado of ink flies past her. She ducks under a multi bomb, then brings up her blaster. She fires the shot and Octavius moves to the side. The blast explodes next to him, getting a couple drops of ink on his legs.

Pearl and Octavius begin circling each other, Pearl firing as many shots as she could. She eventually stopped circling Octavius and began firing at him from one area. Octavius avoided each shot going past him.

After another missed shot, Octavius grins in confidence. "HA! Your aim is horrid! You can't beat me with aim like that!" Pearl grins and says "I wasn't aiming for you." Octavius raises an eyebrow and then jumps back instinctively as a blast is sent at his feet.

Octavius lands on the ground and goes to move when he feels his feet stick. He looks down and widens his eyes at the fact that his feet were stuck in a large pool of pink ink.

Pearl smiles and says "I missed you on purpose. Gives me time to do this." Pearl then takes out four, tubular devices. She throws them all around Octavius and they all activate, a wall of ink surrounding him on each side.

Octavius looks at the splash walls with wide eyes. His Inkzooka was too big to actually aim at the walls in this confined space. He would have to wait until they turned off. Octavius looks over to Pearl again, then gasps in fear. Strapped onto Pearl's back was a large rocket. An inkstrike.

Octavius panics slightly at the sight of the giant rocket and looks around. He then sees Ika behind him, resting his injured body. Octavius grins as he sees that Ika was in the blast radius.

Pearl raises an eyebrow as she sees Octavius laugh. "What's so funny?!" Octavius grins at Pearl and says "Your friend is in the blast radius and is a different color than you. You'll splat the both of us."

Pearl's eyes widen and she looks over to Ika. He was in the blast radius of her planned inkstrike. Ika opens one eye, then widens it a little more at the inkstrike on Pearl's back. He instantly takes out the pink liquid.

Pearl mentally breathes a sigh of relief and says "I know that, but it won't matter." Octavius's eyes widen and he yells "What?! You'd kill your own friend just to get me?!" Pearl then smiles smugly and says "Who says i'll be killing him? I don't think that's possible when you are the same color."

Octavius raises an eyebrow in confusion, then looks back. His eyes widen in surprise when he sees Ika's previously black and red tentacles now black and pink. The same pink Pearl was using.

Octavius looks back at Pearl, fear evident in his eyes. He sees the ink strike on her back shake, then blast into the air. He yells and presses a button on his inkzooka to activate the bubbler shield, but nothing happens. He clicks furiously until he notices a splash of pink ink on the mechanism. As Octavius looks to Pearl, she smiles innocently.

The inkstrike reaches the climax of its climb, then begins to drop. Octavius watches the ink strike with fear. "Nonononono! NOOOO! AAAAHHHH!" The rocket lands practically on top of Octavius and explodes in a giant tornado of ink.

Pearl shield her eyes as the ink splatters everywhere. Luckily, Ika wasn't harmed since he used the liquid Pearl gave him. Pearl instantly runs over to Ika, ignoring the modified Inkzooka on the ground.

She helps Ika onto his feet and says "What a tough guy. Glad he's gone. What was his deal anyways?" Ika smiles grimly, then flinches as pain shoots through his nose. "I can explain that later." Pearl nods, not really expecting an explanation right now anyways. "Alright. Let's get you to the hospital." Ika nods and turns into a squid along with Pearl. The two compress, then shoot off. If Pearl could say something about this Splatfest, it was that it wasn't going to be one she would forget for a LONG time.

**-Author Notes-**

**Thus ends the Splatoon 2 arc. Octavius is gone and the fighters are now recovering. I hope you all enjoyed, but be assured that many more chapters are still planned. Thanks for reading!**


	31. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

"_Where am I?"_ The black haired inkling looks around in confusion. He was standing on what looked like the shore line. The ocean looked clean, but something seemed to be happening. A dirty green layer was coming onto the top.

The inkling looks behind himself and sees Inkopolis in the distance. "_Something strange is going on here." _Suddenly, a loud splash is heard. The inkling snaps his gaze to the ocean and yells in shock. A giant frying pan covered in what looked like soap was falling upon him. With a cry of pain, the inkling is splatted into blue ink.

Ika shoots up from his sleep, then grabs his head in pain. He looks around blearily, then notices he was in the hospital room. He sighs, then lowers himself back onto the hospital bed. He looks at himself and finds an IV in his arm, pumping some sort of liquid into his arms.

The doorknob jiggles, then the door opens. Ika looks over and smiles when he sees Pearl, Marina, and Marie walk in. Marina rushes to Ika's bedside and says "Ika! You finally woke up."

Ika chuckles a bit, then realizes what she said. "Wait. Finally?" Pearl nods and says "You must've drained yourself of all your ink. The doctors not only had to do an ink refill on you, but you were knocked out for two days." Ika's eyes widen. Two days was a lot.

The agent then looks around the group and says "Where's Callie?" Marie steps forwards slightly and says "Callie is in here own room. She is still unconscious, the strains of the battle taking quite a toll on her body."

Ika's eyes widen, filled with panic. "Is she OK?!" Pearl makes a calming gesture and says "Don't worry dude! Callie's fine." Ika breathes out a sigh of relief. He was worried Callie had something wrong with her.

The second Ika breathes out, he instantly flinches. A shot of pain shoots through his nose and grumbles. "Right, broken nose." Marina giggles at Ika's antics.

Marie, addressing Pearl and Marina, says "Can me and Ika have some privacy for a bit?" Marina nods and leaves the room. Pearl looks back once, then leaves as well.

Marie watches them leave, then turns back to Ika. She sits on a chair, then says "The Octarians are recovering quite well from the war. Octavio even plans on trying to start an alliance between Ceph City and Inkopolis."

Ika smiles at the news. "That's good to know." Marie smiles, nodding in agreement. She then says "Oh, gramps and Amber also came back. They said they had someone with them, but they stayed behind at whatever place they explored. They won't give anymore details until you and Callie are there." Ika raises an eyebrow at that, already feeling his endless curiosity kicking in.

Ika looks at the IV drip, which was almost empty of red ink, and says "Hey, I was wondering. How did they get the red ink to replenish my tank, so to speak." Marie looks at the ink and says "I think they said they gathered it from some of the more friendly Octarians living in the city already. Red inklings may be rare, but for Octolings it's just another color."

Ika grimaces as he hears this. "Is that really ok for my body? I won't suddenly sprout suction cups on the top of my head will I?" Marie laughs and shakes her head. "No Ika! It's simply a temporary refill until your own ink replenishes." Ika goes to breath out in relief, then thinks against it. He did not relish another shot of pain from his nose.

He touches his nose gingerly, luckily feeling no pain from the bandaged part of his face. He looks over to Marie and says "Think I can get out of here." Marie puts a hand under her chin and hums as she assesses Ika's condition. The ink was almost all gone and his cuts had begun to fade already. The only problem was his nose.

Marie nods and says "Maybe. I can check with doctor." Ika smiles and says his thanks. Marie then gets up and says "Well, I need to go check on Callie now. Goodbye Ika." Ika waves slightly and says "Bye Marie." The door then shuts softly and Ika's room is filled with silence once more.

**-Two days later-**

Amber and Cap'n Cuttlefish walk up to Callie's room slowly. They enter the room and find Ika and Marie already there, along with Pearl and Marina. Daniel, Clementine, and Whinter were all in the back, eagerly waiting for the story. Callie herself was resting in the bed. She was awake now but still very weak.

She smiles as she sees her grandpa and Agent 3 walk in. "Hi gramps, Amber." Cap'n waves his hello and Amber smiles in greeting. Callie goes to say more, then stops when she sees Amber's face. A splotch of mis-colored skin, looking slightly green, was on the right side of her face, around her eye.

Callie points at the 'stain' and says "Amber? What is that?" Amber reaches up to her face and feels the stain. It was slimier than the rest of her skin and also colder. "That'll be explained later." Callie nods and puts down her trembling arm. Even that seemed to take a lot of effort.

Amber leans against the wall in a corner of the room. Cap'n sits down on a chair and looks at the agents around him. "We all agreed to hear the story of where me and Agent 3 went when we were all together. Now that we are all here, I will begin the story." Taking a deep breath, Cap'n begins the amazing adventure him and his companion went on.

**-Weeks ago: Octo Canyon-**

Amber holds her Hero Shot at the ready, her cape fluttering behind her. She looks around and says "I don't see anyone here Cap'n." Craig walks up to her and says "Drat. That means we can't get any information on Callie's disappearance."

The two look around hoping for some sign of people present. They looks for a few more minutes, then sigh in defeat. They go to turn away, when they hear a loud splash.

The duo turns around and sees an Octoling rising up from her super jump landing spot. She had her four tentacles in a much shorter style than the other Octolings. Her clothing was a black tank top, one sleeve missing, a black skirt, and black boots. She also had a golden ring on her right leg and left arm.

The Octoling gasps at the sight of the agents, then puts her weapon up. She doesn't fire, but she was holding her finger close to the trigger. "Anata wa koko de nani o shite iru no?"

Amber raises an eyebrow as she hears the Octarian language. She turns to Cap'n for translations, and he nods. "She says 'What are you doing here?'" Amber nods her head turns to the Octoling. "We came for information on Callie Cuttlefish."

The Octoling scowls and says "Callie? Ika shimai no?" Cap'n translates to "Callie? Of the Squid Sisters?" Amber nods and says "Yes!"

The Octoling lowers her weapon slightly, then shakes her head. "Mōshiwakearimasenga, jōhō o teikyō suru koto wa dekimasen." Cap'n translates to "I am sorry, but I cannot give you any information." Amber scowls and says "Then get we have no reason to talk anymore."

Amber raises her Hero Shot to fire and the Octoling's eyes widen. The Octoling dives to the side and barely avoids the shots. She fires some shots from her Octo shot and swim away in her ink. Amber follows her with her shots, but none find their mark.

The Octoling then suddenly pops up from the ink and fires some shots at Amber. Amber runs away from the shots, but underestimated the Octoling's aim. The Octoling quickly leads her shots slightly and begins hitting Amber. Amber tries to run, but it was obvious that the Octoling had almost perfect aim.

Suddenly, a glass shattering noise is heard. Amber hears a slight beeping in her headset and finds her armor broken. She growls at the Octoling, who had yet to fire and finish her off.

Then, the Octoling lowers her weapon. She shakes her head and begins to walk away. Amber raises an eyebrow, then shrugs. She goes to turn as well, when she is suddenly hit by a powerful beam of ink. She falls to the ground, already knocked out cold.

Cap'n's eyes widen as he recognizes the ink. "Paralysis ink! Where did it come-" Cap'n got no further as the same ink slams into him as well, knocking the old man to the ground.

The Octoling's ears twitch as she hears something behind her. She turns, then gasps at the fallen forms of Agent 3 and Cap'n Cuttlefish. She runs over and reaches to Cap'n first. She investigates him, then ducks suddenly.

A beam of ink flies overhead and the Octoling looks back. She looks at where the ink came from and finds a strange figure overhead. A charger was in hand and they were taking aim again.

The Octoling panics slightly and picks up Cap'n Cuttlefish. She turns into an octopus, holding Cap'n tightly, then jumps away. She didn't care where she went, she just wanted to get out of this area.

Then, she suddenly feels a pain on her head. She had only a second to register it before falling unconscious. The figure raises the charger for another shot, then lowers it. It then turns into a green and blue octopus and super jumps away. Agent 3 was left behind in the canyon.

**-Hospital Room-**

Cap'n then stretches a little bit and says "That's enough for now. Why don't we all eat something before continuing." A couple inklings protest at the story being stopped, but they don't resist. They all get up and go to get some food, Cap'n going to ask the doctors for something for Callie.

Ika thinks about leaving, then decides against it. He looks over to his injured sister and says "Callie?" Callie looks over, her eyes heavy. "Yes Ika?"

Ika looks away, trying to collect his thoughts. He then says "I... well..." His mouth forms a thin line, then he suddenly scowls. He clenches his hands into fists and says "I can't believe I couldn't protect you!" Tears fall from his eyes as he realizes how bad of a state Callie was in.

Callie blinks in surprise, then smiles slightly. "Iky, you did the best you could. Besides, I had to fight my own battle." Ika just frowns and says "But I should've been able to do something! Maybe if I hadn't been so weak against Octavius then I…" He trails off and just looks down, tears still falling.

Callie puts a hand under her little brother's chin and raises his head. Ika looks away from the ground at Callie. Callie smiles again and says "Ika, nothing can change the past. I know you blame yourself, but you can't always protect me Ika."

Ika looks away, then says "I know, but I can't help but feel responsible. Ever since mom and dad died, I just…" Callie nods in understanding. "You feel like you need to protect me, don't you?" Ika blushes, then nods.

Callie laughs slightly. Ika looks over, wondering why she was laughing. Callie grins widely and says "I am your big sister. I should be the one protecting you, not the other way around." Her smile softens as she says "Don't beat yourself up for it. I'll recover and we'll be sure to watch BOTH our backs next time, alright."

Ika sniffles slightly, then nods with a small smile. "Alright." Callie grins again and says "There we go! Now, why don't you go eat. I'll be fine here." Ika looks hesitant, but Callie begins shooing him away. Ika laughs and goes to leave the room. He turns back to Callie and waves, Callie waving back. Ika then closes the door behind him. With the room silent once more, Callie begins to feel tired again. Her eyes close slowly, then she falls into a peaceful sleep.

**-Author Notes-**

**I know this chapter is a shorter chapter, but it is more of an introduction to the next big arc. The arc will be a story and as such, it will have already happened. I bet you all can guess what the next arc will be about. Anyways, I hope you liked reading! Also, if you could, leave a review! It'll be much appreciated.**


	32. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

**-Please Read! Whenever I say "Octo Expansion" in bold, it is signifying a switch back to Cap'n's story. If I say a location name in bold before this, then it is a change in location of where the story currently is taking place. For example, if I say "Deep Sea Metro" before saying "Octo Expansion", then it is talking of the Deep Sea Metro in the present. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy-**

The next day came quickly for the agents. A few things of importance had happened in the meantime. Octavio and the inkling president were now discussing terms on a treaty between their two races. The president was very surprised to see Octavio wasn't a bad guy. Luckily, he was very accepting of the information and held no grudges.

Ika's injuries were almost gone and he had managed to rid himself of the temporary Octarian ink and was producing his own ink again. His nose still had a few days left to heal completely, but inklings never take long to heal if they manage to break the few bones they had.

Callie was also recovering nicely. She was mostly just drained from the fight. Just like Ika, she needed an ink transfusion, which was easier to obtain than Ika's red ink. She was quickly gaining her energy back and would be able to leave the hospital in a couple days.

For now, the agents all gathered in Callie's room to hear Cuttlefish's story. They were all eager to hear what came next, but Cap'n himself needed to say something.

He claps scratches the back of his head sheepishly and says "I'm sorry for not going over some of the broader details before saying the story." Whinter just waves him off and says "It's fine. The first story gave us a pretty good idea of what was happening."

Cap'n smiles and says "Why thank you squiddo, but I do need to clarify some things. First off, our companion will more than likely be gone until I am finished with the whole story. She sounded like she had a lot to do."

**-Deep Sea Metro-**

Agent 8 collapses on the floor as she sees the Eight Ball fall off the floating platforms again. A blue sea slug presses a button on a remote he was holding and says "You let an Eight Ball fall off... again. Test failed" The bag of ink on Agent 8's back expands, then explodes in light blue ink. She huffs as she goes back to the respawn point.

**-Callie's Hospital Room-**

"I'm sure whatever she is doing is very important." Cap'n then sits down on a chair and says "I should also way that we were in the old metro station, the Deep Sea Metro." Amber nods in confirmation, once again leaning against the wall.

Clementine then decides to speak up. "But wasn't the metro station sealed off because of some accident?"

Cap'n nods and says "I thought so to, but it seems to still be operating. It is not the same as before it was sealed."

Whinter raises an eyebrow at that. "What does that supposed to mean?" Cap'n just smiles and says "Now I can't reveal all the secrets just yet. You'll have to wait and listen to the story." Whinter grumbles in disappointment, but he doesn't complain.

Cap'n then taps his cane on the ground and says "Now then, let's continue. Where was I..." Cap'n taps his chin in thought, then says "Right! Me and Agent 3 were ambushed, along with the lone octoling. The octoling managed to almost escape, but it wasn't going to be that easy."

**-Octo Expansion: Chapter 1-**

Deep underground Inkopolis, much deeper than normal, a single inkling was being aroused from his sleep. He mumbles, then grabs his cane. Cap'n slowly picks himself up, his legs wobbling the whole time. He managed to get up, cracks his aching back, then looks around.

The place he was in looked like an abandoned metro station. Boxes were thrown about everywhere, along with various forms of decay. It did seem to be in mostly working order though. Then, as his eyes travel along the floor, he spots something else. An Octoling, the same as before, was laying on the ground, motionless.

Cap'n quickly makes his way over and pokes the Octoling with his cane. "Lass? Lass wake up!" The Octoling shifts slightly, telling Cap'n that she was alive, but she doesn't wake up.

Cap'n leans in closer, then notices that the Octoling was humming a song. "_The Calamari Inkantation. Seems this one was trying to leave and we attacked her mistakingly. I am sorry young one."_

The Octoling suddenly shifts much more. She opens her eyes blearily, then screams at the sight of a face in her view. Cap'n jumps back and yells, then chuckles. The Octoling was shaking violently, so Cap'n could tell she was scared. "I didn't mean to startle you lass. Are you alright?"

The Octoling stares at the old figure in front of her. He had on a green jumpsuit with a white stripe going down the sides on each side. He had a pair of headphones around his neck and a white captain's hat on his head. A pair of glasses also sat on his nose.

The Octoling hesitates, then gets up. She wobbles slightly, then manages to right herself. Cap'n walks over and says "Name's Cap'n Cuttlefish, leader of the new Squidbeak Splatoon. And you are?"

The Octoling hears the name and gets a faint feeling of recognition. She then realizes she spaced out. She shakes her head, then says in a quiet voice. "I-I'm sorry. What was that." The Cap'n just smiles and says "Just want to know your name is all."

The Octoling goes to reply, then shuts her mouth. What was her name again? Oct… Octimarie? Octallie? Oct… she knew it started with Oct, but she couldn't remember. She shakes her head, suddenly upset, and says "I don't know. I can't remember."

Cap'n's eyes widen at this. "Oh no… squiddo, did you get hit on the head when he were ambushed?" The Octoling tilts her head in confusion, when a flash hits her mind.

_Canyon. Scouting. King. Agents. Talk. Confusion. Language. Fight. Ambush. Cap'n. Escape. Hit. Head..._

There were only bits and pieces, but she could answer the question. "I... I think so. I think it was when I… tried to escape." Cap'n shakes his head and begins muttering. "Oh this is no good. No good at all."

Cap'n suddenly turns to her and says "Well, if you don't know your name, then I'll give you a temporary name until you remember your own. You shall now be Agent 8 of the Squidbeak Splatoon!"

**-Callie's room-**

Ika waves his hands in a stopping motion and says "Hold on just a moment. You made a random Octoling you just met an agent?"

Cap'n nods stiffly, not very pleased in being interrupted. "Yes, I did. I could tell she was a good person and her skills were incredible. She was able to match Agent 3 afterall." Amber doesn't like losing, but she also recognized skill when she saw it. She nods, a small smile on her face.

Cap'n then looks around and says "Anymore interruptions?" He sees no suppressed questions and nods to himself. "Alright, then let us continue."

**-Octo Expansion-**

The Octoling, or now Agent 8, makes a small smile. "Agent… 8. I like that." Cap'n laughs and says "I knew you would! Now, let's try to find a way out of this place."

Agent 8 looks around and quickly deduced that they were underground. "We are somewhere underground. I wonder where…"

Cap'n turns back and says "This looks like an abandoned metro station, and the only one close to Octo Canyon was the old Deep Sea Metro."

Agent 8 nods and continues walking forwards with Cuttlefish. She then tilts her head and says "I may not remember much, but what I remembered of our first encounter told me enough. How are you speaking to me if our languages are different?"

Cap'n just laughs and says "I can do more than understand you. I can speak the Octarian language fluently. I had to since my best friend was an Octoling." The Octoling's eyes widen, then she nods. That made sense.

The two keep walking until they found themselves at the train tracks. The looks to the right and see it is blocked off by debris. Finding no other option, the two begin walking to the left on the tracks.

After a while of walking in the dark, they eventually find themselves in strange looking platform. The track ahead of them was locked off by what looked like a vault. The left held a small train platform with a path leading farther off.

Cap'n analyzes the switch and says "That looks like an Octarian vault. There must be a key somewhere." Agent 8 looks around and, finding nothing, decides to go over to the platform.

Cap'n walks by her side and says "Does this place look familiar to you? This is Octarian technology afterall." Agent 8 looks around again, but nothing sparks any memories. "No… it doesn't." Cap'n sighs and says "There goes the easy way out. It never seems to be easy anyways."

The two walks over to the small hallway and they can see a room on the other side. A small pile of debris was blocking their path. There seemed to be a lot of glass and sharp objects, so climbing wasn't an option. Cap'n looks up and sees that the ceiling is too low for a super jump.

He notices the deactivated ink rail and decides this must be the route. "We can't climb, and we can't super jump. If only we could get this thing working." Cap'n taps the ink rail, hoping it would turn on, but nothing happens.

Agent 8 watches Cap'n curiously, then notices something flash. She looks over to her left and sees a large pressure plate. Two footprints could be seen on it. Deciding she had no other option. She steps on the plate and the device flashes.

Cap'n was investigating the opening on the ink rail that would shoot the ink rail forwards. He was wondering if he could manually get the ink to come out, when it suddenly shoots forwards. His eyes widen and falls back on his back as the ink forms the ink rail.

Agent 8 gasps and runs over to Cap'n "I-I'm sorry! I didn't notice you were there!" Cap'n brings a hand down his face and flicks the ink off. "No worries lass. The ink rails aren't designed to hurt anyways, so no harm was done."

Agent 8 breathes out a sigh of relief, then helps the old squid up. He flinches at a crick in his back, then looks at the ink rail. "Magenta ink, just like your's. Even if it isn't designed to hurt, you still need to be the same color to use it. Looks like only you can move on Agent 8." Agent 8 nods, then steps up to the ink rail.

She stands awkwardly, trying to remember how to use ink rails again. Then, another flash hits her.

_Young. Octopus. Switch. Fourteen. Octoling. Bipedal. Inkrails. Switch. Swim._

Once again the memories come in pieces, as if someone had taken fragments of the memories from her mind. She shakes her head, then switches to her octopus form. She knew what to do now.

She pushes herself onto the pink orb and it suddenly pulls her in. She feels as if she was swimming like normal, but there was a lack of pressure around her. It was slightly unsettling. She ignores the feeling though and swims up and over the debris, popping out the other side.

Agent 8 walks forwards in the hallway, seeing a much larger room in front of her. She goes to enter, when she is suddenly surrounded by glass on all sides. She steps back in a panic and misses something being lowered to her. She blinks, then realizes that a weapon was being given to her by the machine. She hesitates, then grabs the weapon. She holds it tight as the machine closes, finding some solace in the fact she could defend herself now.

Suddenly, some static is heard in her ears. She yelps, then notices a voice. "Age… 8? Ar… k?" Agent 8 slaps the device on her ear and the static clears. Suddenly, Cap'n's voice is heard loud and clear to her. "Agent 8! Are you ok?!"

Agent 8 nods, then realizes that Cap'n wouldn't be able to see that. "I'm fine Cap'n. I was just startled by a machine. It gave me a weapon!" Cap'n laughs and says "What a luck you have there! Now hurry and find that key." Agent 8 nods and smiles, driven forwards by the fact she could fight now.

The room opens up to a much larger space after the machine that gave her the weapon. She looks around and finds numerous boxes everywhere. Multiple raised platforms could be seen, along with many breakable targets. It looked like a training room. She also had a deep urge to start breaking the boxes for some reason.

She ignores the weird feeling and continues forwards. She breaks some of the boxes and targets, but she couldn't find any keys. She then notices that the highest platform had a large box that was wrapped numerous times in ink resistant plastic. "_That looks important."_

She takes aim at the wall and quickly makes a trail of ink to the top. She swims up and appears on the raised platform, instantly breaking the boxes. She eventually finds just the tapped box left. She brushes some of the wood aside and begins to fire.

After a few seconds, the box breaks open and a golden key falls to the ground. She picks it up, then smiles. She somehow knew this was the key they needed. "Oh! Looks like you found the key!"

Agent 8 yells and puts a hand on her chest. "S-Stop doing that!" Cap'n chuckles nervously and says "Sorry squi- um… kiddo, I just got excited is all." Agent 8 breathes out to try and calm herself down, then starts going back to the ink rail. "I'm coming back now with the key."

She jumps down from the platform and rolls to reduce the impact. She walks over slowly, once again ignoring the strange urge to break every box in the room. She steps onto the machine that gave her a weapon, not expecting anything to happen. Sadly, something did happen.

The glass shoots up again and Agent 8 slams right into it. She hisses and holds her forehead where she hit the glass. Then, just as suddenly as it came, the glass disappeared. She shakes her head in annoyance, then goes to put her weapon in its normal two-handed position. She grabs nothing but air.

Agent 8's eyes widen in panic and she looks around for her weapon. She doesn't see it, then she looks at the machine. She steps on it again, and the glass comes up again. It then gives her the weapon she had. She growls and hugs the weapon tight, then turns to go back to the ink rail. When the glass doesn't fall, she gets very confused.

She turns back to the training room and the glass opens. An eyebrow raises in confusion and she tries to turn back to the ink rail. The glass shoots up again, blocking Agent 8's path. She then feels something tugging on her weapon.

She looks back and finds a set of mechanical claws trying to take her weapon. She yells "Hey!" and begins tugging back. The claws may have been mechanical, but they were weaker than the heavily trained Octarian soldier.

Agent 8 almost had the weapon out of the machine's grasp, when she suddenly feels a shock on her behind. She yelps and jumps into the air, slamming her head on the roof. She instantly crouches down and stumbles back, rubbing her bruised head.

She cracks an eye open and finds the glass retracted. She glares at the machine and turns away. She enters the ink rail and goes over the debris, landing on the other side. She walks over to the vault as stiff as a board, and Cap'n just raises an eyebrow.

"Lass, I thought you said you had a weapon." Agent 8 just _humphs_ in a childlike manner and says "The machine took it back." Cap'n blinks, then laughs nervously.

The vault makes a loud sound as the key is inserted in the lock and the glass retracts. She looks down the dark tunnel ahead, then turns to the Cap'n. She smiles and says "Come on!" She then begins walking down the tunnel.

Cap'n quickly begins following, shaking his head. "I'll never understand women." He then shuffles to the side of Agent 8, ready to face their next challenge.

**-Callie's room-**

Daniel breathes out in excitement. "Oh man, an Octoling for an Agent! That sounds awesome."

Marie smiles and says "I'm glad that you are becoming more accepting of the Octarians gramps, especially after what me, Callie, and Ika went through."

Cap'n raises an eyebrow and says "Oh, and just WHAT did you go through?" Marie looks over to Ika and Callie. They just smile and shake their heads. Marie turns back with a small smile and says "I'm sure it'll be on the news soon enough." Cap'n raises an eyebrow, but doesn't say anything.

He then begins stretching slightly and says "Now, I need a break. We can continue tomorrow." A couple agents mumble in disappointment, but most of them agree. Pearl and Marina had to do the stage rotations soon and the others had to do some shopping or home stuff.

The agents begin dispersing and soon only the Cuttlefish family is left. Marie looks over to Callie and says "We could stay if you want." Callie goes to disagree, then thinks against it. She smiles in gratitude and says "Yes, I would like that very much."

The family then begins to tell each other stories of their personal adventures or discuss the ones they've all been on. Callie couldn't ask for a better family.

**-Author Notes-**

**It's official, I am now doing the Octo Expansion. I loved that DLC and I was so eager to begin writing this arc after the Splatoon 2 arc. I hope you all liked the first chapter! Also, if you could, please leave a review! I appreciate the feedback I get and it tells me if I am doing the story well. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!**


	33. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

"_Is this… the same place?" _Ika looks around and once again finds himself on the shoreline. He once again sees Inkopolis in the distance, but the ocean was green and murky, not clean at all.

"_Is that thing gonna pop out again?" _He was staying on guard, searching for what attacked him last time. He couldn't see anything, and that only put him more on edge. But then, a noise could be heard. It seemed to be coming off the coast.

Ika looks out over the water, searching for the sound. It sounded like a Killer Wail, but the noise was much louder than he's ever heard. Then, as suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared. He squints as he sees something in the far distance, something… blue.

Within seconds, a giant laser beam of ink flies over his head. He instantly crouches down, but finds that the beam was not aiming at him. His eyes widen as he remembers what is behind him. He quickly gets up and turns around, only to find a sight that would haunt him.

Eyes wide and ears lowered, he can only watch in stunned horror as the beam slams into Inkopolis. The ink was so powerful that the ink topples buildings, quickly coating the whole city. Screams could be heard in the distance. Ika, not able to handle this, starts running to the city. "NOOO!"

Ika shoots up from his bed again, his breath coming heavily. His eyes were wide in fear and he almost forgot where he was. He sees his room and then tries to calm himself down. After a few failed attempts, he manages to level out his breathing.

The black-haired inkling frowns in thought at what he saw. "_That dream, it isn't normal. Nor was the previous one. What's going on?"_ He shakes his head, trying to find an answer. When none comes to him, he gets up and gets ready to see Callie again.

**-Callie's Hospital Room-**

The agency was already present by the time Ika arrived. He tried to keep his face clear of any worry from the dream he had, but one inkling noticed. Marie frowns as she sees that Ika's smile doesn't reach his eyes, and that his eyes themselves were dulled. "_Something is up with him. I need to ask him about it."_

Ika sits down in his usual spot next to Callie. Callie was much better than the day before, and she could now sit up easily without any pain. Her cuts were fading and the ink transfusion was finished. She would be realised in the evening.

Cap'n smiles at the inklings and single octoling around him and says "You squiddos ready for the next part?" The agents all make various sounds of agreement. Cap'n smiles even wider and says "Alrighty then. After Agent 8 unlocked the vault, we continued down the dark railroad."

**-Octo Expansion; Chapter 2-**

The darkness was almost suffocating. Luckily, neither a trained war veteran or someone accustomed to living underground were affected much. After a few minutes, the railroad enters a much larger station than before, one that seemed to be a regular stop when the metro was running.

Agent 8 looks around and sees that a loading platform was too their right. She climbs up, then helps Cap'n up to the top. The two look around again, when a sudden ringing is heard. Agent 8 jumps, slightly startled, but then tries to find the source. After a few moments of searching, she notices the telephone in the middle of the loading platform.

Cap'n notices the telephone as well and thinks nothing of it. He taps his cane on Agent 8's back and says "Go answer it kiddo." Agent 8 glances back at the old man once, then nods.

She cautiously moves forwards, not trusting a phone that suddenly starts ringing in the middle of an abandoned metro station. She manages to reach the phone without anything happening. She goes to pick up the receiver, when it stops ringing.

Agent 8 tilts her head, confused, when suddenly. "SUBJECT IDENTIFICATION SEQUENCE INITIATED. SUBJECT FOUND: 10008." Agent 8 yelps as the phone suddenly starts talking. And it certainly didn't sound like a normal phone.

The phone continues to talk, much to the disturbance of Agent 8. "SUBJECT 10008. WELCOME TO THE TESTING FACILITY. IF YOU WISH TO REACH THE PROMISED LAND, YOU MUST INITIATE IN A SERIES OF OBJECTIVES."

Agent 8 tilts her head at the wording. Promised land? What was that? Cap'n walks up to her side and scratches his head in confusion. "I can't understand a darn word that thing is saying."

The phone seems to pause, then says "COMMUNICATION COMPREHENSION: 38%. INITIATING PROTOCOL 35." The phone seems to shakes some, then freezes again.

This time, when the phone talks again, it seems much more boisterous. "What is crackalackin my home dog? Let us bounce to the promised land for sho!" Ok, now Agent 8 could understand the phone, but the slang was ridiculous. What was this, the 80's?

The phone keeps on speaking, despite Agent 8 cringing at its speech patterns. "Ha, not! If you wanna reach that sweet land up above, you gotta face the ultimate test! Isn't that rad?" At this point, Agent 8 was just backing away slowly. This phone was creeping her out. Cap'n on the other hand kept listening with rapt interest.

"The promised land huh? That sounds like the surface!" The phone seems to nod, which freaks Agent 8 out more, and says "Rightio! The promised land can only be {Slang_Not_Found} through the four thangs!"

Cap'n places a hand under his chin in thought. "Four thangs, you say?" The phone nods again and says "The four thangs! Get them from the righteous tests down in the subway, and you can get the rad ride to the promised land!"

Cap'n nods and says "Seems simple enough. Hey Lass!" Agent 8 freezes from her escape from the weird phone. She sighs and walks back to the old inkling. Cap'n ignores her attempts to escape and just says "We need to collect four thangs to escape this place. You ready for a challenge?"

Agent 8 frowns, but ultimately agrees. They had no other choice right now, so any lead was a help to them. Cap'n smiles and says "Atta girl! Now then, how do we do these tests?" Just as he asks the question, a loud horn is heard. The two look over in surprise as they see a well-maintained train roll into the station. It stops at the loading platform and a door opens up.

The phone shakes again and says "Step right onto the train for a sweet ride! The tests are in there. You will also need these." The phone suddenly dispenses an identification card. Agent 8 goes to pick the card up, then jumps back as a heavy devices falls next to her. She looks at the phone in blame, but it doesn't do anything. Agent 8 just picks up the items and steps into the train with Cap'n.

The train seemed normal at first glance. It seemed a little dirty inside, but had everything you would find in a normal metro train. Cap'n goes to a seat and sits down, sighing in relief as he does. "My back isn't like it used to be. I need to rest myself, ok Agent 8?" Agent 8 nods, ok with the old inkling resting.

Then, the door at the end of the train car opens. Agent 8 and Cap'n Cuttlefish look over in curiosity as a small, blue sea slug crawls its way over. Agent 8 smiles slightly as she sees the conductor's hat on its head. "_Oh that is adorable!"_

The sea slug manages to get close to them, then looks at the duo. "Hello passengers. My name is C.Q. Cumber. I am your conductor and test administrator." C.Q. Cumber looks at Agent 8 and says "I see you already have your CQ-80 and your Identification card, subject 10008. Allow me to explain the functions of the device."

The slug jumps onto Agent 8's shoulder and pushes the joystick in. The front of the CQ-80 flashes, and then a large holographic screen appears. It had a couple tabs up top, and the screen currently showed what looked like the subway system.

C.Q. Cumber points at the railroad line and says "This is a map of the subway system. These whites dots are the facilities you have yet to be tested in. After completing a test, you may proceed forwards. Some facilities may be connected to multiple lines." Agent 8 nods in understanding.

C.Q. Cumber then jumps off her shoulder and back to the ground. "We will be pulling into the tutorial station soon. I can explain more when we arrive." Agent 8 nods again and goes to sit. The sea slug conductor then leaves the car, presumably to get the train to the station.

After a couple minutes, the train slows down to a halt. Agent 8 looks around in curiosity, noticing only black walls in the windows. Cap'n notices this and says "Squiddo… do you mind me calling you that?" Agent 8 shrugs. Cap'n breathes a sigh of relief and says "Squiddo, look behind you."

Agent 8 turns around, then gasps. They could see the station, which was nothing more than a simple platform with a turnstyle and another weapon machine. No, it was what was beyond that caught their attention.

The place beyond the station was covered in grass and trees, along with various structures. The nature, despite running rampant, seemed to be controlled, telling the two that this was a well maintained station.

The door that C.Q. Cumber came from opens again, and the same slug crawls out. He looks over, or at least looks like he is, at Agent 8 and says "Please follow me 10008." Agent 8 smiles and says "Please, call me Agent 8, or just Eight." C.Q. Cumber pauses, taken back slightly by this form of kindness. He eventually nods and says "As you wish, Eight. If this is the case, then call me CQ or Cumber." Agent 8 nods.

Before the two leave, CQ looks over to Cap'n and stretches one of his, arms, to him. In its grip was a tablet of sorts. "Take this, Eight's companion. This will allow you to view the outside areas and see how Eight is progressing along." Cap'n tilts his hat in thanks and turns the tablet on.

The octoling and slug then walk out of the train car. CQ moves over to the machine that Agent 8 recognizes all too well. "This is an equipper. It will list you up to three weapons of choice for the test. Sometimes, only one choice may be available. The harder it is too beat a test with the weapon, the greater the reward." Agent nods in understanding.

CQ then says "There is also a fee for each test. If you cannot purchase a test fee, then you must return later. Each test also has a number of 'lives'. These lives are the amount of times you may be splatted before having to pay the test fee again." Agent 8 nods again. Seems she'll have to be careful about spending these credits.

CQ finally says "Any credits earned will be sent directly to your identification card. If you wish to enter a test, swipe your card at the terminal and enter through the turnstyle." Agent 8 nods once more and walks over to the equipper. The glass pops up around her and another holographic screen appears. The only option was a Splattershot with a splat bomb sub weapon. Agent 8 taps the weapon, and the machine hands it to her.

The glass falls down and Agent 8 steps off the machine. CQ looks at her and says "I will give you 1000 credits to begin with. This test is 100, and the reward is 600. You will have three lives and must simply reach the goal. Also, you may not take any test weapons with you after a test."

Agent 8 nods to the slug and walks up to the turnstyle. She swipes her card through the machine, and the turnstyle lets her pass. She steps on a deactivated pad, which then flashes in her color. A respawn point.

Suddenly, CQ's voice is heard on the line. "The test begins now." Agent 8 looks around at the various plant growth, a large tower ahead of her. The trees were covered in a sort of plastic, some of them having an IV drip of sorts pumping a light blue liquid into them. It was a very strange sight.

Agent 8 walks forwards tentatively, not sure what she would see. Cap'n looks around with the drone connected to the tablet. He gets an aerial view and then notices something concerning. An Octoling holding and Octoshot was standing on the tower, staring at Agent 8 as she walks by.

"Agent 8, look above you!" Agent 8 looks up, then rolls back as she sees a super jump reticle appear. The octoling on the tower touches down and slowly rises back up. An eerie smile was on her face, and her head was tilted as she views Agent 8.

Agent 8 on the other hand was extremely taken back. The Octoling had on the normal Octarian armor and shades, but that was the only similarity. Her skin was a sickly green and her tentacles were a dark blue, fading into the same green color. Her ink color was the same soapy light blue seen everywhere else in the metro.

The Octoling keeps analyzing Agent 8, then straightens up. She then speaks, her voice garbled and distorted. "Target Sighted. Time to destroy." The Octoling takes aim, then fires.

Agent 8's eyes widen and she dives to the side, narrowly avoiding the shots. She lands behind and tree, then shoots some ink to make another trail. The Octoling's gaze instantly snaps over to where the ink landed and she begins firing, slowly making her way forwards to investigate.

Agent 8 watches as the Octoling moves over to where her ink landed. She circles the tree as the Octoling moves, then swims away in the ink trail she made previously. She pops up closer to the entrance where she can be out of sight of the Octoling.

"W-What was that?!" Cap'n scratches his head and says "I don't know. I've never seen an Octoling like that before. It seems that she would be friendly normally, and yet she is attacking. I wonder why…"

CQ then decides to jump into the conversation. "That was a… previous test subject who could not abide by the rules. They were then… sanitized… and now must… work in the tests to repay their debt. Do not worry about splatting them as they have their own respawn points. There will be more of these Sanitized Octolings in future tests."

Well, at least the possibility of killing her own kind was gone. But Agent 8 also noticed many pauses in CQ's explanation. He was hiding something, but Agent 8 couldn't tell if that was good or bad just yet.

Agent 8 looks over at the Sanitized Octoling as it begins searching the area. Its movements were stiff, as if it hasn't moved in a long time, and its emotions seemed stuck on the same eerie smile as before. Something more than debt repayment was happening here.

Agent 8 puts those thoughts to the back of her mind and decides to engage. She moves forwards slowly, careful not to alert the Octoling. The Octoling was moving around slowly as well, searching for Agent 8.

The Octoling steps onto the red ink that Agent 8 made, then notices that her foot was stuck. She pulls slightly, but her foot stays. Her smile doesn't waver, but her expression darkens slightly and she pulls harder. Suddenly, a tentacle appears in the ink, letting go of the foot.

The Octoling instantly takes aim, but Agent 8 was already moving. She dives out of her ink and instantly fires at the Octoling. The Octoling gets knocked back by the high-powered projectiles, then explodes in red ink, a ghostly blue octopus floating upwards.

Agent 8 sighs, then hears a loud click behind her. She looks past the two and notices a large gate opening up. She smiles and begins running past the gate, ready to finish the test.

The next room was similar to the first, but now two towers were on it. "Agent 8, it seems that two more Octolings are present! The closest has a carbon roller and the farthest has a splat brella!" Agent 8 nods and quickly make some ink to hide in.

The two octolings super jump from their posts, then look around. The test subject was just here, but now was gone. The two octoling go in opposite directions, searching for the test subject.

Agent 8 peeks out from her ink and watches as the Octoling walks past. She slowly rises out of the ink, takes aim, then fires. The Octoling, taken completely off guard, was quickly splatted with no resistance.

"Agent 8, behind you!" Agent 8 turns around and a sudden noise hits her ears. The octoling had activated a special and was now hovering around on an ink jetpack, an inkzooka in hand. "An inkjet! Run Agent 8!"

Agent 8 doesn't need any further motivation and quickly swims away. The Octoling fires one blast, nearly hitting the agent. Agent 8 tries to hide in her ink, then has to move as another blast comes her way. Seems like the octoling somehow knew where she was.

Agent 8 continuously continues to run and make new paths with her Splattershot, narrowly avoiding the Octoling's shots. Eventually, the Octoling's inkjet runs out and she lands on the ground, instantly running at Agent 8 with her brella open.

Agent 8 runs around the Octoling, waiting for the brella to launch its canopy. The canopy then does just that and fires at Agent 8, the sanitized Octoling following behind.

Agent 8 makes another path of ink and swims around the protective canopy. The Octoling, seeming to catch on, begins to back up. Sadly, she could not move away in time. Agent 8 pops out of her ink and fires at the Octoling, quickly splatting her. A few drops of ink landed on Agent 8, but she was otherwise ok.

Another clicking sound is heard and Agent 8 turns around. Another gate was opening and this one seemed to lead to the end. A large machine was in the middle, something hovering over it.

Agent 8 runs over to the machine and looks at it curiously. She couldn't see anywhere else to go, so this must be the goal. Cap'n scratches his chin and says "Maybe you shoot it?" Agent 8 shrugs, seeing no other alternative.

She begins shooting the machine, and the floating parts begin assembling themselves. After enough shots, the parts combine and enter the machine. CQ suddenly makes presence known and says "Test Completed. Please return to the train station. A super jump beacon has been place for you." Agent 8 smiles and nods.

She turns into an octopus and quickly locates the beacon on her map. She compresses herself and launches to the platform. She lands gracefully, a beaming grin on her face. "I remembered how to super jump!" Cap'n cheers and says "Atta girl! Your memories seem to be coming back!"

Agent 8 follows CQ back onto the train with a big smile the equipper taking her weapon as she walks over it. She takes a seat opposite of Cap'n and CQ says "Congratulations on completing your first test. As a reward, along with the credits, you will receive a 'mem cake'. These treats can help recall memories long lost or easily remembered. Simply eat the cake and you will remember."

Agent 8 looks over to Cap'n, not believing their luck. CQ leaves, taking their silence as a queue to go. Agent 8's face then breaks into a large grin and says "I lose my memories in what is supposedly the world's greatest memory jogger. This is quite the lucky streak."

Cap'n nods happily and says "You must eat that cake as soon as possible!" Agent 8 nods and rummages around in her bag. Eventually, she managed to find a large case. It must've been placed in their by the equipper. She opens the case and finds a single mem cake. It was shaped like an orange female inkling.

Suddenly, a loud static sound is heard. Cap'n jumps as he feels a vibrating in his ears, then taps the communicator. "What is this?! Is Agent 3 coming in?" Cap'n taps the earpiece some more, when a loud voice appears.

"MIC CHECK ONE-TWO! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Cap'n jumps at the sudden voice which was NOT Agent 3. Then, just as sudden as the first voice, another voice comes in, much more calm. "Pearlie! Didn't your parents tell you to respect your elders?"

Cap'n blinks a few times, then remembers where he heard the voices from. "Pearl? Marina? Where is Agent 3?!" Pearl puts the mic down and leans close, then says "Agent 3? I don't know who Agent 3 is, but Amber is here with us and she is knocked out cold!"

Marina looks back at Amber and then leans close to Pearl. "Pearlie, I think Amber is Agent 3." Pearl steps back, clearly shocked. "What?! Amber is the legendary Agent 3?!"

Cap'n sighs and says "It's true. I may be just an old inkling, but I lead the New Squidbeak Splatoon. You know all the members, all except the new recruit Agent 8." Pearl had her head in her hands, trying to comprehend the fact that her best friends were the famous agents protecting the city.

Marina giggles at the sight, then says "Cap'n, where are you now?" Cap'n scratches his head and says "I believe we are in the Deep Sea Metro. It seems to have been turned into a giant testing facility and the only way back up to the surface is through completing some tests. I would happily do them myself, but I am much too old for it. Agent 8 is doing them for us both!"

Marina nods and says "Well, I can easily contact you from my hut on Mt. Nantai. I'll run some scans and see if we can find a way down there." Cap'n smiles and says "I would appreciate that greatly squiddo." Marina giggles and says "Stay safe." The line then turns off.

Cap'n sighs in what sounded like relief. He glances at Agent 8, who he noticed had a strange expression on her face. Switching back to the Octarian language, he says "Something the matter squiddo?"

Agent 8 blinks, then shakes her head. "O-Oh, sorry. I just feel like I've heard that name before. I couldn't make out much in the conversation, but I heard Marina. I feel like I've heard that name…"

Cap'n scratches his chin in thought. He then shrugs and says "Well, we can find out more with those little cakes of yours. To put the conversation short, we should have help coming soon!" Agent 8 smiles at the thought of allies helping them in this dark subway.

Agent 8 then lowers her gaze to the inkling cake. She looks at Cap'n, who nods and gestures for her to go on. She looks at the cake again, then puts it in her mouth. Her eyes close as she swallows the cake, and then a flash hits her.

_Octari looks at her uncle with large, purple eyes. The giant octopus scoops up the baby octoling with a smile and says "Oh Octari, you are the most adorable thing ever! I just hope you one day will see the surface." _

_Octavio looks out of his palace windows with a longing look. "If only those spiteful bastards didn't try and fight after the war. We might have gotten some more than the underground chambers we have now." _

_The Octo king looks at the tiny octopus in his arms, one tentacle latched onto his side and another onto his arms. She was still staring at him with her big purple eyes. Octavio smiles again and puts the Octoling back in the crib. "I promise you, my little princess, that I will protect you all your life. My family will never be broken again." As Octavio leans back, Octari's vision fades into white._

Agent 8 slowly opens her eyes, then feels something on her cheek. She rubs her cheek and finds single tear on her face. She smiles and simply lets the tears fall. Cap'n looks at her in worry and says "Squiddo?"

Agent 8 looks at Cap'n with a big smile, tears of joy still falling. "Octari. My name is Octari." Cap'n's eyes widen, then he laughs boisterously. "Now that is what we are looking for! What else do you remember?"

Octari's smile becomes more longing as she says "I remembered my great uncle Octavio." Cap'n's eyes widen immensely, but Octari doesn't notice. "He held me as a baby, promising me to protect me and that I will someday see the surface. I want to make that dream come true, and now I have a chance."

Cap'n looks down in thought. "_Great uncle Octavio? Seems this octoling is more than she seems." _He looks back at Octari and says "Squiddo, seems like you are related to… my old friend."

Octari's eyes widen and she says "What? You knew uncle Octavio?" Cap'n nods and says "Knew him quite well. We were best friends before the war started. Sadly, that changed everything."

Octari looks down in thought. She then says "Well, I may not remember what this war was, but I can tell it wasn't good." Octari then looks at Cap'n and says "When we reach the surface, I'll tell uncle Octavio how you helped me. I bet he'd be glad then"

Cap'n blinks, then smiles warmly. "Thank you squiddo. I'd appreciate that immensely." He then points his cane at the device in Octari's hand and says "Why don't you do another test? We need to get those thangs as soon as possible." Octari nods and activates the device. The map pulls up and Octari clicks another test, ready for the adventure to begin.

**-Callie's Hospital room-**

The agents were all surprised at everything they learned. Their new agent was a relative of Octavio's, a close one at that. Plus, the metro seemed to have become a giant testing facility. No wonder it was sealed off.

Pearl and Marina simply watch as the other agents begin asking Cap'n to continue on. Pearl smirks at the scene and Marina giggles. They were present most of the time from here on out, so they knew most of the story.

Amber smiles as Cap'n stands up and says "Now now, I can't do another one! This took quite a while to tell anyways! Let's all rest and we can do another tomorrow. In fact, I'll simply make these daily."

The agents all nod in agreement, only a couple voicing their disappointment at stopping. Callie smiles as she sees the agents begin to trickle out of her room. Ika glances back once, only to see Callie wave him away. The room becomes silent, and Callie is lulled into sleep by the silence.

**-Author Notes-**

**This is the longest chapter I have ever written. A lot of information was in this chapter and I hope you all managed to catch it all. Thanks for reading, and if you can, leave a review! It helps me know how I am doing with the story. Take care!**


	34. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

Today was starting out well. The treaty between Ceph City and Inkopolis was close to being finalized, much sooner than the agents thought. It seemed that the president and Octavio were pretty agreeable on most subjects.

Along with this development, Callie was also released from the hospital. She decided to stay with her brother for a while, Marie also tagging along. The trio just survived a war and weren't ready to seperate just yet. Not after how long Callie was gone…

Speaking of the trio, they had just woken up. Callie was already making breakfast, homemade donuts, and Ika was eagerly waiting for them to finish. Marie had forced herself up to join them, but she was on the verge of falling asleep on the chair.

Callie smiles and turns to her family, a warm plate of freshly baked donuts in her hands. "Alright you two, breakfast is done." Ika grins widely and hurries to the table. The smell helps motivate Marie off of her comfy chair and sit down to eat.

Callie and Ika with a slightly fast pace, while Marie eats much more calmly. The hot pastries help Marie wake up completely, and soon she is eating almost as fast as the siblings.

The trio finish at roughly the same time. Callie leans back with a content sigh, Ika doing something similar. Marie simply stares and thinks "_People think me and Callie sync up well. These two are so similar it isn't even funny. They would be twins if not for the five month birth date difference."_

Marie shakes herself out her thoughts as she sees the two getting up. The trio grabs their respective items and head out. Ika feels a vibration and pulls out his phone. He opens the text app and sees a text from Amber.

"**Hey Ika. Just telling you that the story meeting place will be in the canyon, over by Cap'n's hut. Meet you there."**

Ika closes the app and turns his phone off. Looking to his companions, he says "Looks like the story is gonna be told at Octo Canyon. Wanna go?" Marie nods and Callie says "Of course I do!" Ika smiles and leads the way.

After only a couple minutes the trio find themselves back in the canyon. Nothing seemed to have changed, but they could see a few more Octarians on the normal hubs holding the kettles. Seems like the Octarians were braving up and trying to contact inklings.

The group ignores that for now. They all sit down around the cabin, Cap'n waving them a hello. Amber was leaning about a side post, her arms crossed again. Marie rises an eyebrow at that. "_Seems like Amber got a lot more… confident. Not the normal hyperness we saw when she was masking her loneliness. This seems… more real. This must be the real Amber."_

Marie is snapped out of her thoughts as the kettle shakes again. She glances over and sees Clementine, Whinter, and Daniel pop out. Seems that the three have become an inseparable group. She smiles at that. Daniel needed someone to stick by his side in this new world, despite the fact it's been almost a year.

Clementine waves at the group, everyone giving their greeting. Whinter pulls out his phone and shows a text he recently got. "Pearl and Marina won't be joining us today. They have to stick around the studio for additional weapons being made by Sheldon. I heard he managed to find some new form of energized ink."

Callie nods fervently and says "I heard he made a new roller with Toni Kensa! I beat it'll be amazing!" Ika nods and says "Kensa tends to make some really good weapons."

Cap'n chuckles at the inklings' obvious enthusiasm about the new weapons and says "Alright squiddos, if you want to listen to the story, you'll have to calm down." The inklings all look over and the conversations begin to die down. After he is satisfied with the volume, Cap'n says "Alright. After Agent 8 remembered Octavio, she went on to do more tests. Many were simple, but one did give her trouble."

**-Octo Expansion: Chapter 3-**

Octari looks at the station in front of her with confidence in her eyes. The previous stations were simple enough, most of them having easy tasks. This one was different however.

The test asked her to roll a giant 8-ball to the goal. It seemed simple enough. She wouldn't realize how wrong she was.

Octari steps on the equipper and finds three options. She could use a Squiffer, a Splat Brella, and a Squelcher. Octari stares at the options a bit, then decides to use the Squiffer. It gave a higher reward and she was eager for a challenge.

Octari grips the Squiffer with a confident smile. CQ looks at her in slight concern and says "Eight, that weapon tends to be hated by many subjects in this test. I wouldn't recommend it." Octari waves him off and says "Don't worry, I got this." CQ just looks away. Didn't matter what she chose as long as she passes the test.

Octari swipes her card in the turnstyle. Her 5,930 credits drop down to 5,130 and she sees three lives available to her. She tenses herself, then jumps onto the spawn point.

She watches in slight amusement as a giant 8 ball bounces up and down on a bouncy pad. Cap'n laughs and says "It's bouncing! IT'S BOUNCING!" Octari laughs as well and takes aim at the ball. She had to move it to the end, so shooting it seemed like the logical choice.

With a small amount of kickback, the Squiffer launches a beam of ink. It slams into the Eight Ball, which then bounces onto some angled bounce pads and launches into the platforms Octari was on.

The Ball rolls some, then eventually stops Octari hops down from her shooting post and looks over at where the Eight Ball would need to roll to. She then notices a single sanitized Octarian regular roaming around near another bounce pad. Seems she would need to take him out first.

Octari begins to walk over to the Octarian regular when another voice is heard in her headset. "Oh! Is that another one of those sanitized Octarians?" Octari nods and says "Yep. Those things are everywhere in here Marina."

Marina taps a few keys on her laptop, then says "I have been trying to analyze those Octarians. They don't seem to be that way naturally, and they have no vital signs." Octari frowns and fires at the Octarian regular. It splats in one shot.

"That can't be right. They are moving around like normal and are obviously living creatures." Marina looks at her laptop in intense focus, Pearl watching from behind. A single model of a sanitized Octoling was on the screen. "I know. I need more information on this sanitizing process and how it works. Why does cleaning an Octoling even make you like this anyways?"

Octari shrugs as she walks back to the Eight ball. "Beats me. I'll let you two figure this out since I have these tests to do." She walks around the Eight ball, then fires.

The Eight ball flies forwards across the platform, eventually slowing down as it reaches the bounce pad. Octari frowns as she sees the Eight Ball stop right before it hits the bounce pad that would let it continue on. "_Must not of put enough charge into the shot."_

Octari walks over to the Eight Ball, then aims again. She charges a fully charge shot, then fires. The Eight Ball rockets off and goes onto the bounce pad. It slams into the wall in front of it and flies over Octari's head at an angle. She watches as the ball rolls some, bounces off a rail on the previous platform, then falls.

Octari's head hands low as she sees the Eight Ball disappear. CQ then says "You let an Eight Ball fall. Test failed" Octari sighs and begins to make her way over to the beginning, when she hears something behind her.

Octari glances behind her, then gasps in alarm. Her ink tank was rapidly expanding, then ink inside the same blue ink used by the sanitized Octarians. She yells and grasps the ink tank and tries to pry it off. She can't do it in time and the ink tank explodes, instantly splatting her.

Octari respawns on the respawn point with wide eyes. She was just murdered by her test administrator. She yells and says "What the hell was that?!"

CQ sighs, then says "It is simply protocol. I must activate the ink tank on your back and let it explode if you fail the objective. Believe me when I say I do not relish the job." Octari grimaces, unsure whether to angry at CQ for killing her, or concerned with the fact that he has to kill multiple people multiple times.

She shakes her head, then looks at the Eight Ball. She watches it bounce on the same bounce pads it was on the first time. She takes aim, then fires. The Eight Ball flies back to the platform and lands in roughly the same spot as before.

Octari looks over to the next area and sees the Octarian regular had respawned as well. Octari charges a shot and quickly takes the regular out. She then walks around the Eight Ball and, remembering to fully charge the shot this time, fires at it.

This time, the Eight Ball manages to land on the bounce pad and bounce to the upper area. It sticks to the inked sponge. Octari tilts her head as she analyzes this. "_So sponges cause the ball to stick. Useful information."_

Octari runs over to the Eight Ball, then fires from below. The Eight Ball moves forwards some, giving her a chance to jump up as well. She lands, finding two Octarian regulars taking aim at her.

She moves to the side, avoiding their shots, and fires at the first one. It splats in one shot and the other regular backs away in caution. It fires at her, but she avoids the slow shot again. She aims, then fires, instantly splatting the regular.

Suddenly, Octari hears a clanking behind her. She turns around and finds that the Eight Ball had fallen off of the higher platform, landing on the bounce pad below. It must've continued rolling and hit the fence, causing the clank. Her eyes widen as she sees it fall into the pit below.

"You let an Eight Ball fall. Test failed." The ink tank on her back expands again and her eyes widen in fear. The tank explodes and instantly doses her in the blue ink. She cries as she makes her way back to the beginning.

She shakes the red ink off of her, then frowns in determination. She fires at the Eight Ball and continues forwards.

Cap'n watches in slight concern as Octari screams in frustration as she respawns. She managed to get to the last checkpoint, but she was having trouble with bounce pads that would send the eight ball off of the platforms if the ball hit them.

Marina tunes into Cap'n's headset and says "She's having a lot of trouble." Cap'n nods and says "Aye, that she is. I wonder if she'll make it this time." Pearl chuckles and says "I hope so! She's gonna lose it pretty soon."

Cap'n watches as Octari carefully maneuvers the ball across the narrow platforms. She was sweating bullets as she carefully fires her Squiffer, the ball just barely stopping before she hits the final bounce pad. She goes wide eyed, then sighs in relief. Now she could move on.

She moves herself behind the ball and fires it forwards. The ball rolls off of the sponges and goes onto a fenced platform. The ball bounces around some, then stops.

Octari runs over, then finds something odd. A strange hologram-looking device was at the end of the platform. CQ tunes in and says "That is a ball launcher. Use it to launch the ball to the upper area." Octari nods, then fires the ball into the launcher.

She watches as the ball locks itself into place in the launcher, then fires up to the higher platform. It disappears from sight and Octari sees a launchpad activate for her. She turns into a squid on the pad, then super jumps to the area.

As she lands, she notices something extremely chaotic. The Eight Ball landed in a wide platform with bounce pads for walls. As such, it was bouncing everywhere. Along with that though, there were numerous Octarian regulars scattered around, all trying to avoid the Ball. Many were getting splatted already.

Octari yelps as the ball flies past her, then continues to bounce on its rampage. Some of the Octarian regulars had notices her at this point and were trying to both fire at her and avoid the rolling death ball.

Octari moves to the side, easily avoiding the shot, then fires the Squiffer. As the Octarian explodes, Octari was already moving her way to the next Octarian. That one goes down quickly and only two regulars are left.

Octari decides to ignore the bouncing ball and makes a long ink trail to the regulars in the back. She swims forwards, then pops out her ink, a shot already charged. She fires at the now alert Octarian and splats it.

The other regular aims at her, then fires a shot. Octari side steps and puts up her charger. She goes to fire, when the ball flies past her, splatting the regular. Octari blinks, numbly watching the ball as it continues to bounce. "O… Ok then."

Octari sides steps as the ball rolls by once more. She notices a gate opening, and it seemed to have the goal post beyond it. She aims at the ball and, waiting for it too line up with her shot, fires. The ball rockets backwards and into the gate, quickly being pulled to the goal.

"Test completed. You may return." Octari breathes a sigh of relief and nearly collapses right there. She restricts herself though and super jumps back to the station. She steps on the equipper, grabs her mem cake, and follows CQ back onto the station.

She collapses onto the seat opposite of Cap'n and says "My credits, I can feel them screaming at me." She holds up her card with a depressed expression. She only had 3,930 credits left for the latter stations. She had to pay again twice.

A voice then pops up on her headset. "Neo jeongmal geu gong soyu ya!" Octari raises an eyebrow at the familiar yet incomprehensible words. Marina pushes Pearl back and says "Pearlie! She doesn't understand Calamarese! You need to wait until she learns." Pearl blushes as she realizes Marina was right. She rubs the back of her neck sheepishly, a big smile on her face.

Cap'n shakes his head, then apologizes to Octari. "Sorry about Pearl Agent 8. She tends to forget some things." Octari smiles in embarrassment and says "O-Oh! No need to worry about it!"

Cap'n looks like he is about to refute, when a third voice joins in. "Hey Cap'n, I think we finally pinpointed how to get into that metro station." Cap'n grins widely and says "Well then come down and meet Agent 8, Agent 3!"

Amber smiles at the Cap'n's enthusiasm, then unplugs her phone from Marina's laptop. She nods her thanks to the octoling, then turns with a swish of her cape. She steps outside, looks at the coordinates, then super jumps away.

Cap'n looks back at Octari and says "Well, how is the progress on those thangs Agent 8?" Octari smiles and says "Oh! I still only found one, but I am certain we are close to another!" Cap'n smiles in satisfaction. They'd reach the surface in no time.

CQ then crawls into the cabin and looks over to Octari. "Ms. Eight, we have located another thang. It is in the next station. Do you wish to retrieve it?" Octari nods enthusiastically. That would be two thangs now!

The sea slug nods in understanding and exits the car. After a few minutes the car stops and a darker station is shown outside the windows. The train car next to them opens and Octari steps out cautiously.

The equipper in front of her supplies her with a Splattershot, but nothing else. She grips her weapon tightly and walks up the sloped ramp to the top. The darkness around her and lack of any music was putting her on edge. She was always expecting an enemy to pop out from somewhere.

She reaches the top without any problems though and is met with a large sphere. She knows what to do from last time and begins shooting the sphere. Her ink tank is nearly exhausted by the time the sphere explodes. She smiles and goes to the piece. With some effort, she manages to pull the thang off of its pedestal and onto the ground. Then, she goes back to the train for a dolley.

She wheels the dolley up and puts the thang on it. Then she begins rolling it back to the train so they can bring it to the phone.

Cap'n smiles as he sees Octari roll the thang into the train. She sets the thang next to the wall and then pulls out the CQ-80. She moves the cursor to the Metro Station and selects it. That was where the phone would be waiting.

CQ instantly sets their course when he receives the signal from Octari's CQ-80. In the meantime, Octari decides it might be best to eat another mem cake.

Cap'n watches in curiosity as Octari pulls out one of the dozen mem cakes she had. "Lass, why don't you just eat them all? I am certain it will get you all of your memories back in no time."

Octari smiles at the Octoling shaped cake. "I want to try and gain as many memories back on my own as I can. I don't want to use too many of these cakes. I doubt that I can get any more than the amount of tests there are." Cap'n tilts his head, then shrugs. If that's what she wanted then that's what he'll agree to.

Octari stares at the little Octoling cake a while longer. Then, she puts the cake into her mouth. As soon as she swallows, another flash hits her vision.

"_ONE TWO THREE FOUR! That's it! Teach those dummies what's coming to them!" Octari breathes heavily as she continuously hits the dummy in front of her. She was in combat training right now and their instructor seemed extra intent on giving them a hard time._

_The tall, rigid Octoling walks down the lines in examination of the soldiers. His eyes fall on the heir to the throne. She was hitting the dummy with everything she had, constantly switching attack patterns and throwing more hits._

_Then, the instructor hears someone walk up behind him. He turns around, then nods at Octavio. Him and the king were on friendly terms so he could replace the formal bow with a single nod._

_Octavio glances at the instructor and says "How are they doing Daichi?" Daichi turns to the soldiers, each one giving their all. "Excellent your highness. However…"_

_Octavio raises a non-existent eyebrow. He was in his octopus form currently and as such didn't have any. Daichi looks towards the end and points Octari and the hybrid girl. "Your grandniece Octari and the hybrid Kai are doing exceptionally well. They imply the normal drill sequences and some of their own improvised attack patterns."_

_Octavio nods, pride swelling in his chest at the two. He was very proud of his grandniece for the effort she put into training. She would make a fine queen when he passed on._

_Then came Kai. Ever since he found her on the outskirts of Octo Valley, he's sheltered and raised the little octoling hybrid. Her human traits made her stand out and in some cases get ridiculed. That only served to make her more determined to fight._

_Octari glances over as some sixth sense activates in her. Someone was watching her. She then notices that her uncle Octavio was watching. She smiles and goes back to the dummy, hitting it twice as hard. Kai notices what her friend was doing and doubles her efforts as well._

_Octavio smiles at the two, then looks over to Daichi. "Mind if I pull Octari out for a few minutes?" Daichi gestures for Octavio to go forwards and says "Of course, your highness." Octavio nods his thanks and moves down the line of training soldiers._

_Some octoling notices who was behind them and stop their training to look at Octavio. Daichi notices this and snaps out "BACK TO TRAINING, OR ELSE YOU'LL SWIM THE INK RIVER UPSTREAM!" The curious octolings snap out of their daze and go back to training._

_Octari was about to start a complicated sequence of attacks when she feels a tap on her shoulder. She looks over and sees her uncle looking at her. Octavio holds out a tentacle for her to grasp and says "Come with me for a second Octari." Octari looks back at Kai, then to Octavio. She nods._

_The two walk off, Kai not even noticing her friend was gone yet. Octavio goes over to a bench on the empty street and sits down. He pats the seat next to him and Octari sits as well._

_Octari looks at Octavio in curiosity and says "What did you need, your highness?" Octavio chuckles and says "Ah, you remind me of your mother so much." _

_Octavio then reaches behind himself. Turning partly into his humanoid form, he pulls a picture out of his robe pocket. His robe then is reabsorbed into his inky octopus body._

_Octavio holds the picture in front of Octari. The picture had three people in it. One was definitely her uncle Octavio. That helmet was a dead giveaway._

_The next person, an adult female Octoling who stood a few inches lower than Octavio, was next to the king. She had two short tentacles draped over her shoulders, two longer tentacles trailing down to her mid-back. She was wearing a very beautiful red and green kimono._

_The final person was a much younger Octoling, probably around Octari's own age. She had a nervous smile on her face, a gray and white cap on her head. She had a set of Octarian shades on the cap, along with a black t-shirt and black shorts. Her fingers ended in red tips, and her tentacles were the same red as the other two Octolings. Octari also notices a set of headphones around her neck._

_Octavio trails a tentacle across the small octoling and says "This is your aunt Octavia. She was such a beautiful girl. She was timid, but my love for music obviously passed on to her. She spent a lot of her time making songs and remixing the ones she'd heard. I'd never heard of such a talented DJ as she was."_

_Octavio expression suddenly becomes longing as he says "Sadly, she died in the great war before she could recognize her dreams. I miss her so much." Octari had a sad frown on her face as she hears this._

_Octavio then looks to his grandniece and says "That is why I put you through this training. I want you to be able to defend yourself so you can stay safe. I hope you realize that." Octari looks down, then smiles. She looks back to her uncle and says "Of course I do uncle."_

_Octavio looks like he is about to refute her for calling her uncle. His rule was no familial relations while he ruled so he doesn't have favorites. Octari didn't think this worked as well as Octavio hoped. _

_Instead of refuting her, Octavio just sighs. He wraps two of his tentacles around the Octoling and embraces her. "I love you Octari. Don't you ever forget that." Octari squeezes her uncle tightly and says "I know uncle. I love you too."_

Octari blinks as the memory ends and she once again feels something on her face. Tears had started flowing again, and she was fine with that. These memories made her so happy that the tears didn't matter to her.

Then, she can feel the train begin to slow. She looks at Cap'n, wiping her tears away as she does so. "Looks like we're here." Cap'n nods and says "That we are lass. Let's give this to the phone."

The train car door opens and Octari begins pushing the thang outside. The phone seems to 'look' at them and says "Sweet! You got another thang! Only two more to go dudette." Octari doesn't respond and simply walks back into the train. That phone was too much for her.

She sits down across from Cap'n and clicks the next test. She smiles and says "Well, only two more." Cap'n nods with a smile. "The surface is coming up soon!" The octoling just smiles, ready for the adventure to continue.

**-Octo Canyon-**

The agents all begin discussing the story after it is done. Clementine, Whinter, and Daniel all say their thanks and begin to leave quickly. They wanted to get some stuff done and weren't gonna stay long after.

This left only the Cuttlefish family and Amber. Ika looks over to Cap'n and says "So… Agent 8 was extremely close to Octavio?" Cap'n nods in confirmation.

The black-haired inkling looks over to his cousin and says "Now I know I've heard that name before. Wasn't Octari the name of that octoling Octavio was searching for?" Marie tilts her in head in thought. Her eyes go wide as she remembers the conversation.

"Right! Back when he was gathering his army, he asked if an octoling called 'Octari' was found. This must be the same Octari." Cap'n blinks in surprise at that. Seems like they caused a few problems by being absent from this battle.

Suddenly, a ring is heard. Amber pulls out her phone and gazes at the screen with slight interest. She puts it back in her pocket and says "Looks like Eight was caught up in a couple hard tests, so it'll take even longer before she gets here. She also thinks she may have found a new octoling that'll come back with her."

The agents all gain interest at the last sentence. Cap'n looks at Amber in curiosity and says "Any information on the Octoling?"

Amber shrugs and says "Other than being a non-violent sanitized octoling, no. She just said she may have found a new friend." Cap'n scratches his head in confusion at that. "What the hell does that mean?"

**-Deep Sea Metro-**

Octari looks into the dark room timidly. CQ looks at her and says "This is her. Good luck." Octari nods her thanks and CQ crawls away. Octari takes a deep breath, then enters the room.

The sanitized octoling doesn't even look at Octari as she enters. She simply continued to make music on her DJ booth. Octari frowns in nervousness and says "H-Hello? Are you the one who makes the music here?"

The Octoling looks over at Octari for a couple seconds, then looks away. She nods. Octari pokes her fingers, a nervous habit she had. "W-Well, I was wondering if you'd like to come with me?"

The music suddenly stops and the Octoling turns to Octari. She tilts her head, curiosity and confusion radiating from her. In a garbled voice, she says "_What?_"

Octari flinches slightly at the voice, but then says "I managed to get a way to the surface. Want to come?" The Octoling tilts her head, seeming to think about it. She then shakes her head and says "_No. I cannot with the phone here."_

Octari breathes a sigh of relief and says "Oh, is that all! No need to worry about him. He's gone, I defeated him." The Octoling looks back at Octari in slight surprise. "_Oh?"_

Octari nods, seemingly proud of herself. "Yep! Did it all as I escaped!" The Octoling looks back at her DJ booth, tapping the many knobs in thought. She then simply begins making music again, not giving Octari an answer.

The agent blinks in surprise, then huffs in frustration. That was rude, ignoring her like that. She then pulls out her phone and says "Well… even if I can't bring you with me, can I show you some music from the surface? I know you'll like it and I bet it'll help you make some new music."

The Octoling looks over again in curiosity, but also slight annoyance. The test subject was continuing to interrupt her work, but she wouldn't mind new music ideas.

Octari cycles across her music playlist, then stops on her favorite. "Listen to this one! It's called Calamari Inkantation and is my favorite!" The Octoling grabs the phone, then unplugs her headphones from her DJ booth. She then plugs them into the phone.

**Ya weni marei mirekyarahire**

**Juri yu ****mirekerason**

The Octoling's eyes widen as she listens to the song. Something about it… it was joyful. It was… rejuvenating.

**Kire hyari yoriherahe nyurahera**

**Nunnyura unera yurawera nyimerani**

The Octoling suddenly grabs her head and begins to scream. Octari jumps, then rushes over. She grabs the Octoling's arms and says "W-Woah! What's g-going on?!"

**Chopperipo shurashurafe**

**Nannyurunire nifaferahi**

Octari couldn't keep the Octoling still. She was thrashing around, her fingers digging into her head. Something was wrong here and Octari didn't know what was causing it. Her eyes then stray to her phone, still playing the Calamari Inkantation.

**Nannyuruni weranira shuraharahi**

**Nyurunirehara fe fe fe**

Octari releases the Octoling, who instantly falls to the ground, her screams echoing in the small room. She picks up her phone and unplugs the cord, the song pausing as she does so. The Octoling's screams begin to die down, and eventually she was simply breathing heavily.

Octari crouches over the Octoling as she begins to pick herself up. The Octoling coughs a couple times, one hand on her stomach. She shudders, then heaves as she throws up the sanitized blue ink. Octari steps back in shock and slight disgust.

The Octoling shudders some more, then slowly stands up. She pulls off her shades which had cracked from her fall. She turns to Octari, her eyes black with bright green irises. "W-What happened?"

Octari blinks as she registers the voice. It was the same, but the garbled effect was gone. The Octoling looks at her shades, then pulls them close. Tears were in her eyes and she was on the verge of a breakdown. "W-What happened?! I-I can f-feel again…"

Octari moves over to the Octoling, gingerly touching her shoulder. The Octoling instantly grabs Octari, pulling her into a hug. She was bawling at this point, her tears soaking Octari's shirt.

Octari looks around in confusion, wondering what to do. Her eyes then stop on a plaque above the door. It read "Dedf1sh". Octari looks down at the Octoling, then the plaque. She smiles warmly, then wraps her own arms around the Octoling. "Don't worry F1sh, everything is ok. Everything will be fine."

**-Author Notes-**

**Sorry about the delay in this chapter. I got caught up in some work I needed to do. And, once again, this chapter is loaded with information. I hope you all enjoyed!**


	35. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Octari looks at her new friend in interest. She had kept the broken shades removed and was sitting quietly on the subway train. Her green eyes stared at the floor, and her expression showed she was lost in thought. Agent 8 pulls out her phone and decides to text something.

"**Hey Agent 3. Can you tell Cap'n to hurry up on the last part of the story? I am gonna be coming back soon and I have someone everyone will want to meet. It'll stop the story for so long we'll NEVER finish."**

After a couple minutes, Amber responds.

"**Sure thing Eight. I'll tell Cap'n to speed things up."**

"**Thanks Three."**

Octari switches her phone off, then goes over to the sanitized octoling. "You holding out ok there F1sh?" F1sh jumps, then looks at Octari. She looks down again and says "Y-Yes, I am. I just… can't believe this is actually happening."

Octari smiles and wraps her arms around the timid Octoling. "I know, but it really is happening. We'll see the surface soon." F1sh smiles and leans into the calming embrace.

**-Octo Canyon-**

The agents were once again sitting outside the cabin, eager to hear the story. Amber then whispers something in Cap'n's ears. Cap'n's eyes widen, then he nods. He turns to the gathered agents and says "It seems we will need speed thing up. Agent 8 is coming home soon, along with her new friend, and that will cause so much commotion that the story won't finish!"

Cap'n shifts, then says "So, in order to speed things up, I will skip to when Agent 8 collected the last thang. She hadn't eaten any mem cakes after the second one, so that won't be a problem."

**-Octo Expansion: Chapter 4-**

The train slowly enters into the metro station. The door on one of the cars opens and Agent 8 walks out. She was pushing the final thang over to the phone. Cap'n follows her eagerly.

As Octari pushes the thang over, Cap'n receives a text message.

**AGNT_3**

"**Hey Cap'n. I'll be there soon, just need to get enough height to break this glass." **

"**Alrighty Agent 3. See you soon."**

Cap'n puts away his phone and watches the scene in front of him.

Octari breathes a sigh of relief, then instantly gets excited. The phone 'looks' at Octari and says "Awright, you got the thangs! Now I will take you to the…" The phone pauses, then sudden fanfare music plays. "PROMISED LAND!"

Octari nearly jumps around in joy, but she keeps herself in check. The phone shakes some, then pops off of its post. Octari jumps back in shock, suddenly on guard. Something isn't right here.

The thangs all gain a sickly green glow and begin to float around the phone. Octari steps back, her body tensed, while Cap'n watches in rapt interest.

A sudden, chilling sound is heard as the thangs begin to combine. The phone attaches itself to the top thang, then slams it onto the top with a resounding _CRASH._ The now one thang seems to emit a loud horn sound as it is completely assembled.

The bottom of the thang opens and the phone says "Time for the {Slang_Not_Found} ride to the Promised Land!" Cap'n raises his cane and says with a smile "Alrighty! Let's go Agent 8!"

Cap'n begins walking forwards, but Octari wasn't having any of it. Something was not right about what she was seeing. Marina thought so too and says "Wait… doesn't that thing look like a blender."

Octari's eyes widen as she realizes what the thang really was. She runs to Cap'n, trying to pull him back. "Cap'n, don't go in there!" She reaches Cap'n and begins to pull him back, but then she realizes something. The door was closing behind them.

Octari yells and slams her fist on the door. The floor beneath the duo shakes, and soon it begins rising. They eventually can see outside of the glass, and a sudden whirring is heard. Pearl's eyes widen, then she grits her beak. "That is a blender! Let them out you stupid phone!"

The phone shakes, then says "OBJECTIVE COMPLETE. BEGINNING DNA SAMPLE EXTRACTION SEQUENCE." The blades above the two of them begin lowering, Octari's eyes widening in fear. This was it. She was going to die being blended into a sludge of ink.

Cap'n, in his fear, falls back. He lands on his phone and accidentally presses his emergency beacon button. He stares at the blades in as much fear as Octari.

The phone seems to laugh as the blades lowering, a strange, echoing sound being emitted from the machine. Then, an even louder sound is heard. _**CRASH!**_

The roof above them breaks apart and a lone inkling is seen flying through the glass. Cap'n smiles and his fear dissipates as he realizes who it is. "Agent 3! Perfect timing!"

Amber doesn't give Cap'n a response and instead angles her foot at the blender. With all the force she could muster, she slams into the deadly machine. It instantly breaks apart, the four thangs flying apart. Amber rolls on the ground, barely missing the blades that almost killed Cap'n and Octari.

With a resounding _clang_, Amber slams into the pole that once held the phone. The phone itself was a short distance away, electricity flowing out of the wires beneath it. Cap'n picks himself up and Octari coughs as she brushes away the dust.

Cap'n quickly goes over to Amber and says "Agent 3! Are you alright?" When Amber doesn't respond, Cap'n shakes her slightly. Amber twitches, but doesn't wake up. Cap'n frowns and says "The collision must've knocked her out. We won't be able to do anything about that."

Cap'n looks back at Octari and says "Agent 8! Go up through the hole Agent 3 made and see if you can find a way to the surface. Agent 3 must've gotten down here somehow." Octari nods, then looks at the hole in the glass above her. She turns into an octopus, compresses herself, then flies through the roof.

As soon as she passes the glass roof, she notices an immediate change. The room was massive and held tons of giant pipes and electrical equipment. Octari then notices a large amount of floating platforms and angles herself to land on them. With a little spin, she lands on the platforms.

Octari looks around cautiously, looking for any enemies. She doesn't see any and continues forwards, looking for any signs of danger. She had no weapon and would be a sitting duck for any soldier she passes.

Octari sneaks across the floating platforms without any encounters. She then reaches the end, one of the floating platforms being connected to the wall. She peers inside the small hallway and finds what looks to be an elevator. She smiles at the sight of it.

A sudden burst of static is heard, causing Octari to jump. She looks around, then realizes it was in her ears. "Cap'n? You ok?" Nothing but static is heard. Marina frowns as she views the scene through a drone. "Something must be wrong. Go check on them Agent 8." Octari nods, then looks at the hole far below her. She then super jumps into the hole.

As she lands, she notices that something had gone seriously wrong. Sanitized ink was everywhere, specifically around where the phone and Amber were. Octari's eyes widen as she registers this. The phone and Agent 3 were gone, along with Cap'n!

That's also when she notices something about the train. A large splatter of the blue ink was on it, but some of the blue was moving. Octari gasps as she sees the little conductor's hat on the moving ink. "CQ!"

CQ looks up at Octari blearily. The ink may not be lethal to him, but the paralyzing effects Octoling and Inkling ink had was causing him to lose consciousness. "Eight… the phone took them. They escaped… through a hidden hatch. Only the phone… knows where it is."

CQ suddenly begins to sway dangerously. "I tried to stop them. It seems… you are the first… to cause me to break protocol." The sea slug then falls on his side, his breaths coming slowly. Octari's eyes tears up and a hand is over her mouth. She looks around, wondering where the three could've gone. Then, she looks at the hole. Her eyes narrow in determination and anger. That phone hurt one of her only friends and he would pay dearly. She turns into an octopus and flies back through the hole, determined to find the phone.

As soon as she lands on the platforms, she starts running for the elevator. She steps through the door, then gasps slightly. The elevator was much bigger than she thought, and she could see a light coming from far above. The elevator would take a long time to get to the top.

Just as she thinks of that all, the elevator begins moving upwards. Octari stumbles a bit, caught off guard by the sudden movement. She smiles nervously and says "G-Guess I didn't need to start it myself."

The elevator makes a loud whirring sound as it lifts up towards the top. Octari blinks and shields her eyes from the light, trying to see something beyond the bright light. As she is looking, she does notice something peculiar. A single floating platform, a smaller one next to it, was only slightly above her.

As she nears the platform, she notices that someone was on it. She was obviously an inkling, and she wore the Hero Suit, which instantly made Octari wonder if this was Agent 3. The large cape with a 3 imprinted on it confirmed her suspicions.

Octari breathes a sigh of relief and waves to Agent 3. "Agent 3! Down here!" Agent 3 twitches, her hero shot hanging loosely from one hand. Octari lowers her hand slightly, wondering why she didn't respond.

"AGENT 8!" Octari's eyes widen and she looks over to the smaller platform. Cap'n was there, tied up and hanging by a rope. He struggles some, but couldn't get out of the binds. "Something is wrong with Agent 3! You need to take her down!"

Octari tilts her head in confusion, when she notices Amber begin moving. She turns her head, and Octari gasps. Her tentacle color was now the same color as the sanitized ink, along with the ink in her tank. Her eyes had changed to a bright blue, some strange spiral pattern within the irises. Along with that, a large clump of light blue goo was on the right side of her face, some of it passing over and under her eye. The goo was pulsating a blue glow, but otherwise was not doing anything.

Agent 3 turns around completely and, putting her gun into a ready position, jumps into the air. Octari's eyes widen as she sees a reticle appear on the ground. "_Splashdown!"_

Octari instantly dives behind one of the large box shaped structures in each corner of the elevator. Just as she does this, Agent 3 slams into the ground full force. A wave of ink is sent up by her impact, but it doesn't damage Octari. The box protected her well.

Octari looks out at Agent 3, wondering how she was going to fight him. "_I don't have a weapon, so how am I going to do this. If only I could get her weapon…" _Octari's eyes narrow as she begins to devise a plan. She smiles, then begins.

Agent 3 was looking around for the octoling she was so close to splatting. She could find no sign of her, but the elevator was boxed in on all four sides. She couldn't have gone anywhere. Suddenly, a ringing is heard in the area. Agent 3's gaze snaps to the sound, her gun already aimed at the location.

She circles around where the sound came from, then notices its source. It was an Octopus shaped phone, and it was ringing and vibrating. Agent 3 goes over to the phone and picks it up, wondering how it turned on.

"GOTCHA!" Agent 3's eyes widen as she feels a sudden pressure on her back, along with a loss of balance. Octari growls as she begins fighting with Agent 3, the agent hissing animalistically at her. Octari grabs the gun and pulls, but Agent 3 yells and tries to pry her hands off.

The tussle goes on for a little longer, each agent close to winning. Then, with a yell of determination, Octari slams her foot into Agent 3's face, right where the goo was. Agent 3 yells in pain and grabs her head, Octari safely pulling the gun away.

Octari fiddles with the tube on her ink tank, then eventually gets the gun to connect. She sighs as she sees the gun's chamber fill with ink, ready to be fired. Then, just as she does this, Octari notices a strange sound.

Her gaze moves back to Agent 3 and she sees something odd. Agent 3 was crouched down, her hand on the golden bracelet around her wrist. Agent 3 suddenly grins and twists her hand, the bracelet emitting a flash of gold, then falling to the ground. Then, her voice garbled and distorted, Agent 3 says "**Shouldn't have done that Octoling.**"

Octari's eyes widen as she sees the ink around Agent 3 fly outwards, a shimmering aura of blue around the sanitized agent. Octari's eyes widen in surprise and slight fear at the power she was being shown. "_How powerful is this inkling?!"_

Agent 3 then suddenly begins changing. Her fingertips begin to sharpen, eventually becoming more like claws then fingers, along with a bright blue color on the tips. Her height increases slightly, and her body seems to gain more strength as clear muscle is seen through the tight-fighting agent suit. Along with this, the goo on her head seems to take the shape of a horn. Agent 3 smiles wickedly and says "**Time for some fun.**"

Octari's eyes widen as Agent 3 seems to disappear from sight. The agent reappears on her side and slashes at the Octoling. Octari jumps back, trying to avoid the attack, but she was too slow. A deep gash appears on her stomach and she hisses in pain.

Agent 3 smiles in satisfaction, then begins to circle her prey. Octari grips her bleeding wound, then lets it go. A cut would heal in minutes for her, so she didn't need to pay any attention to it. Octari raises the Hero Shot, aiming at the monstrous agent. She narrows her eyes, a flash of red seen for just a second, then fires.

Agent 3 once again seems to disappear, but Octari was ready for it. Her trained eye easily follows the extremely fast agent as she runs around, and she tries to aim her shots accordingly. Sadly, the shots just didn't move fast enough and Agent 3 slams right into Octari without taking any damage.

Octari slides along the ground, rolling as she went along. She nearly reaches the edge before she stops. She shakes her head, then looks back at Agent 3. She was taking her time with killing her, so that meant Octari had some time to recover.

Octari's eyes narrow as she views the agent. "_My eye can follow her, and I can match her speed just barely, but the gun isn't fast enough. She is obviously stronger than me, so how do I fight this?" _Octari begins to circle Agent 3 once more, each one waiting for the other to move.

Then, a voice is heard in Octari's headset. "Agent 8!" Octari's eyes widen slightly as she registers the voice. "Marina! Do you see this?"

Marina nods, her drone flying over head. "Yes I do. That is one powerful form Agent 3 has." Octari nods and says "I know. I can't hit her with the gun, and she is obviously too strong for me to fight head on. What do I do?"

Marina opens another page on her laptop and begins typing furiously. "I can get you something to help. Just survive for a few minutes!" Marina turns to Pearl and says "Can you get me the prototype Dynamo Roller Sheldon gave us for testing? I think we need to use it now." Pearl salutes and runs out of the hut, instantly super jumping away. Marina turns back to the computer and says "Just a few minutes Agent 8. We'll have something by then." Octari nods, but she was not liking the odds.

Agent 3 smiles and says "**Talking to your friends are you? Well, by the time I'm done, you won't be able to speak to them again!" **Agent 3 suddenly sprints forwards, determined to cause Agent 8 some pain.

Octari dances around the blow, barely avoiding the slash. Agent 3 instantly moves twists her body and sends another slash straight to Octari's stomach. Octari jumps over the slash, then ducks down mid air as Agent 3 tries to hit her while in the air. Octari lands on the ground and jumps back, firing a few shots while she retreated.

Agent 3 avoids the shots expertly, the same grin plastered on her face. Octari's eyes widen as she sees Agent 3 get a sudden burst of speed, ramming right into her. She grasps Octari's throat tightly, then octoling sputtering as she feels her breath restricted.

Agent 3 smiles widely, her fangs adding to the menacing flair. "**Time to die, octoling. Just as every other Octoling I murdered in the past."**

Something in that comment made Octari beyond angry. With a strangled yell of rage and sudden surge of strength, Octari bites down on Agent 3's hand, HARD. Agent 3 yells in pain and Octari jumps back, blood trickling down her mouth.

Agent 3 grips her hand tightly, numerous bite marks on it, along with two deep wounds were Octari's fangs sunk in. The holes were bleeding a good deal and were throbbing in pain.

Agent 3 grits her beak and glares at Octari with a burning rage in her eyes. "**Now you've done it octoling." **Agent 3 yells, then jumps into the air. Octari watches in curiosity, when she notices a ball of ink in Agent 3's hands. She looks down and notices a reticle around her. Her eyes widen and she begins to swim away in her ink.

Octari's pops out of her ink, reassured she got away safely. Then, and eyebrow raises as she notices the reticle move into the center of the elevator. The reticle then grows in size and Octari's eyes narrow slightly in worry.

Agent 3 suddenly begins laughing and says "**Running won't save you! In a confined space like this, you won't be able to avoid my Splashdown at full power! Even those little boxes won't stop me!"**

Octari's eyes widen and she looks around in a panic, wondering what to do. Agent 3 was too far up to stop and she had no cover. The reticle then grows exponentially in size, along with the ball of ink in Agent 3's hand, but she didn't seem down yet.

Just as she was beginning to lose hope, she hears a ding behind her. She looks back and sees her ink tank light flash red. She had a special ready. She looks up at Agent 3, then at her tank. A plan begins to form in her mind.

She secretly activates a splashdown orb, but she refrains from jumping into the air. She grits her beak as the deadly energy burns her hand, wanting to be released. She endures the pain and waits for Agent 3 to move.

Agent 3's splashdown orb was now the size of two beach balls and she seemed content with the strength. "**TIME TO DIE!"** Agent 3 lowers the ball beneath her and begins to rocket to the ground.

Octari watches with intense focus as Agent 3 falls rapidly. Her eyes were keeping up, but Agent 3 was falling fast. She tenses her body, the hand holding the orb behind her. She watches Agent 3 then, just as she nears the ground, Octari's eyes widen. "_Now!"_

Octari bursts forwards, the ball in directly in front of her. Agent 3 looks over as she falls and her eyes widen as she sees Octari running at her with a splashdown orb. She tries to turn herself to block the attack, but she couldn't move in time. With a yell of defiance, Octari slams the orb into Agent 3's body.

Agent 3's orb dissipates as she loses her concentration. She flies backwards and slams into the wall. She shakes her head, then grits her teeth. Her eyes were shaking and brimming with rage. "**You. Little. BOTTOMFEEDER! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!"**

Agent 3 roars loudly and sprints at Octari. Octari's eyes widen in fear and she tries to move away, but Agent 3 growls and grabs her shirt. She slams Octari into the ground and begins to pummel her. "**YOU!" **Punch. "**HURT!**" Punch. "**ME!"** Punch.

Octari was reduced to nothing more than a bleeding mess as Agent 3 continuously slams her fist into the agent. Octari couldn't see anything but red as her eyes begin to cover in her own blood, blinding her to what was going on. She was becoming numb anyways.

Agent 3 growls and says "**I'll torture you slowly before I kill you! This'll teach you not to mess with m-" **Just as Agent 3 goes to say this, something lands right on her head. She gasps in pain and grips her head tightly, wondering what just hit her.

Octari coughs as she feels the pummeling end and she falls into her ink. She can feel it heal her body, giving her the strength she needed back. After she healed enough, she rises from the ink. Her eyes widen as she sees a weapon in front of her. It was a carbon roller, but it was a dark gray color and had a slight shine to it. It had a single word in it saying 'Kensa'.

Octari grabs the roller just as Agent 3 gets up. She sees the dynamo roller, then laughs. "**A dynamo roller?! I don't care where it came from, that slow thing will never hit me!"** Octari just grips the roller tightly. Marina wouldn't have sent this to her without expecting it to work.

Agent 3 grins and sprints away. Octari raises the roller above her head, the mechanism inside spinning the roller and preparing to give it extra power. Agent 3's smile becomes smug as she sees the futile attempt. That thing will never hit her with speed like this.

Octari watches the agent run in circles around her. She was getting cocky, something she could use to her advantage. Her eyes narrow, as she estimates how fast Agent 3 was going. She suddenly aims far ahead of Agent 3 and flings the ink forwards, a massive wave flying across Agent 3's path.

Agent 3's eyes widen in surprise as she sees the ink fly to where she would be. She tries to dig her feet into the ground to stop herself, but she couldn't. The ink lands right on top of her, coating her whole body in red ink. She screams in pain as the ink burns her exposed skin.

Octari lowers the roller and stares at the agent. She was clawing at herself, trying to remove Octari's ink. Said agent narrows her eyes as she sees the goo on Agent 3's face pulsate violently. "_That thing must be what is controlling her."_

Octari places the roller on the ground, then runs at Agent 3. She grits her beak and jumps forwards, a fist cocked back. "COME BACK AGENT 3!" She thrusts her fist forwards, slamming it into the goo.

The goo, much more compact than what is seemed, flies off of Agent 3's head entirely. Amber gasps as she feels her head clear up rapidly, the intruding thoughts vanishing rapidly. It was too much for her and she falls to the ground unconscious, the physical changes slowly going away.

Octari gasps for breath, her eyes searching for any more resistance. When she finds none, she sighs in relief. She collapses on the ground, her body drained of its energy after the fight. She could hear Cap'n cheering from above and she smiles. "_Time to get him down."_

Octari super jumps into the air and lands on the small platform Agent 3 was on when she entered the elevator. She works on the binds holding Cap'n, trying to get him free. She eventually feels them fall slack and the old inkling falls to the ground. He picks himself up, grabbing his cane in the process, and says "Outstanding work Agent 8! You really showed Agent 3 who is the better agent!"

Octari chuckles in slight embarrassment, then notices something. The area around them was brightening rapidly, flashes of light reflecting from the metal. Octari looks up, then gasps at the sight she saw.

Vast expanses of water stretched in every direction for as far as the eye could see. In the distance was a single land mass, stretching across the horizon. A city could be seen as well, flashing lights and other signs of celebration present.

Cap'n smiles at the awestruck expression on Octari's face. "What do you think?" Octari snaps out of her daze, but her eyes don't wander from the sight in front of her. "It's beautiful…" Cap'n laughs and puts a hand behind his back. With a warm smile, he says "Welcome to the surface."

**-Octo Canyon-**

The agents were all cheering for Agent 8 after the fight. Daniel grins widely and says "That was amazing! Agent 8 must be really strong!"

Whinter looks at Amber in awe and says "Do you really look like that with your limiter off?" Amber nods. Whinter smiles widely and says "Can you show us?!" Amber seems to think about, then smiles. She nods.

Amber steps in the middle of the circle of agents, then twists her bracelet. The limiter flashes and falls to the ground, and Amber begins changing. A golden aura erupts around her, her fingers sharpen into yellow claws, her body grows slightly, and muscle is shown through her suit.

Whinter gazes at his friend in awe. She was at least five inches taller now and looked quite intimidating. His gaze wanders down from her face and lands on her body. He blushes as he realizes her chest grew as well.

Clementine growls and slaps Whinter's head. Ika rolls his eyes and Daniel looks away. The Squid Sisters giggle and Amber smirks. She grabs her limiter and puts it back on, her body going back to normal.

Whinter rubs the spot he was slapped, then smiles nervously. "T-Thanks Amber." She smirks and just nods.

Cap'n smiles at the group and says "Alright, enough nonsense for one day. Tomorrow we will conclude the story, so be ready."

The agents all nod, each of them eager for the rest. They all begin trickling out of the canyon. Soon, only the silence of the canyon is left at the cabin.

**-Author Notes-**

**That fight with Agent 3 was intense! But, things aren't done yet for our Octoling friend. She had one last challenge to face, one much larger than any other. I hope you enjoyed!**


	36. Chapter 35

**-Chapter 36-**

Today was the last day of the story. The agents were all excited for the ending, wondering what was going to happen now that Octari was on the surface. Cap'n tells the agents to settle down, then says "Alright squiddos, this is the last story. It all begins shortly after me and Agent 8 reached the surface."

**-Octo Expansion: Finale-**

Octari couldn't feel any more proud of herself then she was currently. She finally reached the surface and achieved her uncle's dream for her. And the surface was just as amazing as she herself had dreamed.

Then, Octari realizes something. "There's no bridge anywhere, just water. How do we get back to the mainland?"

Cap'n looks around and realizes that there was no bridge. "_Either Agent 3 was brought here by air or boat, or she super jumped with that strange ability she had. Either way, we have no way of getting back."_ Cap'n turns to Octari to speak, when a sudden sound is heard. Music.

Octari and Cap'n look over the water and are surprised to see a fleet of helicopters flying to them. The helicopter leading the fleet had what appeared to be a stage beneath it. "HEY DOWN THERE!"

Octari squints, then gasps slightly. Marina was waving to them from the lead helicopter, and Pearl was striking a pose. They were both in their new stage outfits that Pearl made during Squidmas.

Cap'n smiles widely and waves back at the duo. Marina turns to someone in the copter, and soon it is descending down to the small platform the agents were on. Octari goes to Amber and throws her over her shoulder so they could get her on the copter.

The copter lowers down to only slightly above their position. The suspended stage beneath the copter was accessible to them and the two jump on, Octari careful to keep Amber from falling. Octari sets the unconscious agent down on the stage, then sits herself. She was only now beginning to feel the effects of her battle with Amber.

Cap'n dangles his feet over the edge of the stage and looks up at the pop stars above him. "That was quite good timing you had there you two."

Marina smiles and says "Well, I figured you would be reaching the surface soon. After I dispatched the drone to bring the dynamo roller, me and Pearlie got on our copter and flew over here."

Pearl nods with a smirk on her face. "Yeah! We never use this damn thing anyways, so it was the perfect opportunity!"

Octari nods as she hears the reasoning. Then, her eyes widen. Her gaze snaps back to Pearl and she says "W-Wait, was that Octarian I just heard?!"

Marina blushes slightly, but a big smile was on her face. "Y-Yes it was. I made a device that changes the sound waves an inkling or octoling produces so that others can understand a foreign language. The wearer can also understand what the other person is saying in return."

Pearl nods, then slaps Marina on the back. She grins widely and says "This is why 'Rina is the best. She is so damn smart!" Marina blushes and seems to try and hide behind her hair.

Octari giggles and says "That is pretty useful." Pearl nods, her arms crossed. Then, her eyes widen and she says "Oh! I bet it'd be better if you used it Eight. I can't speak Octarian, and neither can most inklings. I am pretty sure 'Rina here and the agents are the only ones who can, so it'd be better if you used it to understand Calamarese."

Octari blinks and her mouth forms an 'O'. Marina smiles and says "Hey, that is pretty smart Pearlie!" Pearl just grins in pride, taking off the device and handing it to Octari.

Octari fumbles with the device a bit, eventually being able to attach it to her current headset. Pearl then says "Does it work?" Octari smiles and nods.

Marina turns to Pearl and begins celebrating at successfully making such a device. Pearl simply smiles and goes along with it. Cap'n watches the two in slight pride. He considered all the agents to be like his grandsquids, so this was a nice event.

Octari smiles as she watches the two, but then her ear twitches. She turns around, then pales at the sight she sees. The platform her and Cap'n were on previously was rising, and it did not seem good.

Octari taps Cap'n's shoulders and says "C-Cap'n? Look over there!" Cap'n turns around, and his eyes go wide as he sees the rising platform. An intricate design was underneath, and it was raising Cap'n's suspicions.

Pearl and Marina also stop celebrating as they take notice of the rising platform. Soon, they could all see a massive statue with an all too familiar shape. Cap'n narrows his eyes and says "That shape, that looks like a human!"

The agents all stare at the gigantic statue warily, wondering what was going on. The a sudden voice echoes across the area. "TARTAR IN DA HOUSE!"

Every eye snaps over to the statue's left eye, wondering what made the noise. Octari's eyes widen, then narrow dangerously as she glares at the speaker. "It's that stupid phone!"

The phone shakes a bit, then says "TEMPORARY SPEECH MODIFICATION DISABLED." The phone shakes some more, and that's when Octari notices something disturbing. The phone was covered in the same blue goop that controlled Amber, and a single Octarian tentacle was sticking out of it. She covers her mouth and turns away, unable to handle the disgusting sight.

The phone then speaks once again, saying "My name is Commander Tartar. I am an AI made by a brilliant human professor 12,000 years ago. My job was to pass on the knowledge of the human race to the next intelligent forms of life."

Marina and Pearl look at each other, wondering where this random monologue came from. The phone shakes again as it says "When your kind became self-aware, I thought my wait would be over."

Tartar shakes violently, then practically spits out "But no! As I viewed your kind's evolution, it disgusted me! You warred over trivial genetic differences and cared more for materials then your own comrades!"

Cap'n looks down in slight sadness as Tartar says that. The great war did seem almost pointless once it was over. He could only regret the many lives he took in that fight.

Tartar doesn't notice Cap'n's regret and continues with "So, I devised a plan. I would rid this world of all the unworthy species and recreate a new species, just as the professor envisioned. Now, behold the instrument of your demise!"

The statue suddenly shakes slightly, and the mouth begins to open up. A large machine extends from the opening, looking too much like a laser cannon than the agents wanted to admit.

Marina instantly grabs her laptop and pilots her drone around the statue. "This isn't good." Pearl hops on her feet, suddenly anxious. "What! What isn't good?!"

Marina types a bit, her drone scanning every inch of the statue. "The phone wasn't lying. That machine has enough power to cover the whole main land in ink! All the inklings will die!"

Octari's eyes widen as she hears that. She looks at the size of the machine and says "How on earth do we stop something that big?!"

Marina frowns in concentration, then notices a shine on the statue's body. The entire covering was made of solar panels! She smiles and says "The statue looks like it made of solar panels and is drawing energy from the sun! If we can cover the whole thing in ink, then we can stop it from charging completely!"

Pearl frowns and says "But how do we cover that whole thing in ink! It looks like it's gonna fire any minute!"

Marina nods and says "You aren't wrong, we only have about four minutes until it launches. Luckily, I have a solution." She clicks a button on her laptop and all all the copters around them begin to surround the statue. Each of them all open a panel on the bottom of each copter and something begins to extend downwards from each copter.

Pearl's eyes widen as she realizes what the items are. "The Hyper Bombs! But I thought they were still in development?"

Marina nods and says "They are. I can't activate them remotely, but they can still cause massive damage." She turns to Octari and says "So, that means Agent 8 will need to activate them manually."

Octari blinks, then says "Me?!" Marina nods. "You are the only one with a weapon and they need to be shot to activate." Octari stares for a little longer, then nods. Her eyes instantly fill determination, ready to take on this task.

Marina smiles and says "I knew I could count on you Eight." Marina then turns to Pearl and says "The ink will stop the charge, but the statue could still fire. I want you ready to hit it with the full power of your voice!" Pearl stares numbly at the sudden request, then nods as well. She could do that.

Octari smiles as things seem to sort out, then she turns to the statue. She readies her gun and compresses herself. She then super jumps over, ready for the bombs.

Marina talks over the headset and says "The first set of bombs will be on the chest! There will be five of them." Octari nods and runs over to the chest of the statue. She sees five large reticles appear on the chest, and soon the massive suction bombs slam into place.

Octari takes aim and fires at the first bomb. It's color changes to Octari's red and generates a massive explosion. Octari shields her eyes from some of the stray ink, then smiles in satisfaction. This could actually work.

Octari uses the ink made by the bomb to swim over to the next three, shooting them as well. They all explode and all that was left was one bomb. She swims over to the last bomb, which was sitting slightly on the shoulder, and shoots it. It coats the area in ink, making a swimmable path to the neck.

Marina then chimes in and says "Alright, the next five are on the neck, since you are already there. Go get 'em!" Octari watches as five more copters unleash their bombs, all sticking to various points on the neck.

Octari swims up the path made by the last bomb and shoots the closest bomb. It explodes, giving her swimming access to the other bombs. After about 20 seconds, all the bombs blow up and have coated the whole neck in ink.

Tartar watches in frustration, then says "Do not think I was not prepared for an attack!" Octari suddenly hears a whirring sound, and soon multiple hatches appear on the statue. Her eyes widen when she sees multiple splatling guns appear on the statue. They all begin to rev up, and Octari instantly tries to swim away.

Sanitized ink rains down on Octari as she runs away. She swims desperately for some cover, but often finds none. Marina's eyes widen in worry and she says "Hurry, go to the back! Some more bombs are there and I can see an ink rail going along it! You have a minute and a half to get the whole statue covered!"

Octari swims through the giant sea of red ink on the statue in a slight panic. She reaches the back of the statue and finds five more bombs on the statue. She also notices the long ink rail going along the back.

Octari hops onto the ink rail and aims at the bombs. Numerous splatling guns were on the back as well, but they couldn't shoot fast enough to match the ink rail's speed. Octari is easily able to avoid the shots, shooting the five bombs as she passes by.

As she hops off of the ink rail, she notices that some of the ink bombs hit the splatling guns. A few were disabled now, but most of them were simply searching for her. She just falls into her ink and swims away.

Marina smiles and says "The next five are on the arm. We have one minute!" Octari swims to the shoulder, easily avoiding the ink fired from the splatling guns. She notices another ink rail and hops on top of it.

She circles around the arm, shooting four of the bombs as she went. She lands back where she started, most of the splatlings destroyed by the blast. She looks around in worry, then panic as she can't find the last bomb.

"On the top of the arm Eight!" Octari looks up and notices a platform above her. She swims up the wall and finds the last bomb on the shoulder. She shoots it, smiling as it coats the entire shoulder in ink.

Many loud pops could be heard as the final bombs are fired onto the head. "The last ten are on the head! Hurry!" Octari nods and jumps onto another set of ink rails. The head had less splatling guns, so she could fire without worry, but time was running out. She had only thirty seconds.

She manages to get down seven of the bombs in 15 seconds. She looks up, wondering how to shoot the last three, which were out of her range. That's when she notices a second ink rail going up to the top. She smiles and hops on.

As she circles the upper portion of the head, she shoots a bomb on the left side of the head. She continues to circle, then ducks as a splatling fires at her. The ink flies over head, and she stands back up.

Octari fires at the ninth bomb, it coating the head almost entirely in ink. All that was left was the forehead. She circles to the front, aiming at the bomb. Then, be it a sixth sense or something else, she looks down.

Tartar was staring at her, hatred somehow radiating off of the phone. Octari smirks, then fires at the bomb without looking. Tartar shakes violently, screaming indecipherable gibberish at her.

The octoling simply smiles in satisfaction and looks back up. Her eyes widen immensely as she sees the ink rail come to a sudden stop. She grits her beak, then jumps off of the rail. She looks to the ink below, then to the sea. She would land in one, but it was going to be close.

"Wait, look out!" Octari's eyes widen as she registers Pearl's cry. Her eyes widen even more when she notices the giant laser cannon right beneath her. She didn't even consider the cannon. She turns into an octopus, her eyes shut tight, hoping her stretchable body would lessen the impact. She wouldn't know this would save her.

Tartar, noticing where Octari was going to land, begins to laugh. He opens a hatch on the cannon through his wires, hoping Octari would land in the opening. Under the hatch was a swirling pool of sanitized ink getting ready to be fired.

Octari, with her eyes closed, doesn't notice what she was going to land in. Marina notices though and screams "OCTARI!" Octari's eyes widen, and she instantly emits an animalistic screech as she lands in the pool of sanitized ink.

The red octopus is thrown around like a rag doll as the ink spins around her. Her eyes are shut tight in pain as the ink burns her body. Something else was happening to her, but she couldn't care to notice. The pain was immense.

Marina grits her beak and sends her drone to the ink cannon. She pilots it above the open hatch and extends a claw down to the ink. "Grab the claw, hurry!"

Octari is just barely able to register the plea through her pain. She looks up blearily and is able to see the claw, just visible in the swirl of blue ink. She swims up, fighting the current, and reaches with her tentacle. She is able to latch a suction cup onto the drone's claw, and the drone pulls her out of the ink.

Tartar screams in frustration again as even his plan to kill Octari was thwarted. "Test subject 10008, you have caused me enough trouble! It is time for you all to be remade into the world the professor envisioned!"

The drone carries Octari over to the helicopter the agents were on. She lets go gratefully and lands on the stage platform. She was too exhausted to even switch back from her octopus form.

Pearl looks on in worry and jumps down. She brushes the blue ink off of the red octopus's body, then looks at Marina. She stretches her hands out to Marina, holding the octopus carefully. Marina nods and picks up Octari, carefully setting her against the wall to rest.

Pearl turns to the statue, who's laser cannon was beginning to spin rapidly. She grits her beak, then screams "**PHONE! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU HURT MY FRIENDS!"**

Pearl's tentacles suddenly start glowing, the inkling not paying any attention. Marina gasps and Cap'n goes wide eyed as he sees Pearl suddenly get a special without any devices.

The white inkling then flips over, and a killer wail was suddenly placed in front of her. Marina's eyes widen and she says "That's the killer wail I got her for Squidmas!"

Pearl grits her beak and glares at the statue. She grips the handles tightly, then takes a deep breath. With all the force she could muster, she then screams. "**AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"**

The killer wail shakes violently, then fires a massive beam of pink ink. The statue's cannon also finishes preparing its attack and fires as well. The two enormous beams of ink collide in the center, each one fighting for supremacy.

Tartar laughs as he sees his ink beam begin to work its way forwards, Pearl's voice wavering slightly. "It seems that you cannot stop me! Accept your demise!"

Pearl's eyes shut tight as she feels her throat throb in pain. She couldn't keep this up for much longer, and the blue ink was inching closer. Flashes of her friends pass through her head as she struggles to fight back and power the killer wail.

_Clementine. Whinter. Daniel. Callie. Marie. Ika… I can't fail the one time I get the chance to do something right! I won't let Inkopolis fall!_

Pearl's eyes tighten even tighter, and she suddenly feels something bubble inside her. It was a strength she knew she had, but was too afraid to use. She caused an earthquake last time, and that was enough for her to block it. But now… now she would use it to its fullest potential!

Pearl's takes an even deep breath, the beam of blue ink moving dangerously close as its resistance falls. Then, multiple times louder than before, Pearl screams again. "**BOOOOYYYYAAAAAHHHH!"**

The killer wail seems to have trouble staying in place, ink flying out of the exhaust pipes in streams. The beam in front of it bursts into life again, growing many times larger and stronger than before.

The blue ink is almost instantly pushed back by the stronger ink beam. Tartar shakes violently, then screams "NOOOOOOO!" The beam of pink ink blasts through the beam of blue, slamming right into the statue.

Tartar shakes even more violently as the statue shorts circuits. The goo on him, unable to stay connected, flies off of the phone. The statue continues to short circuit, until the laser cannon blasts off of the statue. It falls into the sea with a mighty splash.

The phone simply twitches, sparks flying off of it periodically. It seems that it was finally defeated. Marina sighs in satisfaction, then tells her pilot to head back to Inkopolis. The pilot nods and turns the helicopter around, the fleet following back to the city.

**-Inkopolis Square-**

Pearl and Marina, along with Cap'n, sneak the unconscious agents into the pop duo's apartment. They lay them on the couch, Octari still in her octopus form. Marina looks at the two anxiously, waiting for them to wake up.

After a couple minutes, a soft gurgle could be heard. Octari's eyes blink some, then look around in curiosity. She sees Pearl and Marina sitting on a couch, Marina talking of something. Cap'n was asleep on the chair and Amber was next to her, still unconscious. Octari closes her eyes and reverts back to her humanoid form.

"U-Um, guys? What happened?" Marina instantly stops talking and snaps her gaze to Octari, her mouth set in a smile. "Octari! You're fina-" Whatever she was going to say was stopped as she notices something odd about Octari.

Octari looked fine, but her tentacles had faded into a deep blue color on the tips. Octari tilts her head and says "What?"

Marina stumbles on her words as she tries to say something. "Well… um… your tentacles, they changed color…" Octari's eyes widen, and she looks around in a slight panic. Her eyes land on a mirror on the wall, and she gasps in shock. Her tentacles were the same color, but the tips were the same dark blue most of the sanitized octolings had.

Her eye twitches, then she smiles. "T-This is fine. I can handle this." She stares for a bit longer, until her eyes eventually close. She takes a deep breath, then breathes out. Her eyes narrow somewhat, but now she was calmed down.

She sits back on the couch and smiles, saying "I can handle this." Marina smiles nervously and nods, wondering if Octari had gone slightly crazy. She then says "I think it was that sanitized ink you fell into. I saw the color change on your tentacles as an octopus after I pulled you out, but I thought it was just ink."

Octari frowns in thought as she considers this. "You know, I did feel something change when I was in that ink." She suddenly shivers and says "That ink was going to sanitize me! That was way too much of a close call."

Marina nods and says "You're lucky you turned into an octopus when you feel. You never would've been able to swim out otherwise." Octari nods, simply glad she didn't turn into a mindless zombie.

A sudden groan is heard and the two look over to Amber. The agent was rubbing her head, groaning in pain. "I feel like I was hit with a truck, then splatted by the Octo Bot King's fists."

Marina's eyes widen as she notices something different about Amber as well. "Amber, your face! It changed color!" Amber flinches as a flare of pain shoots through the place the goo was on before. She looks at the mirror on the wall and frowns. A patch of green-ish peach skin was now on the right side of her face, very noticeable.

"That is one weird scar. Oh well, can't change it." Amber looks back at the agents, then raises an eyebrow at Pearl. The white inkling looked like she wanted to say something, but she wasn't she. She was simply shifting in her seat, watching the exchanges.

"Pearl, if you want to say something, say it." Pearl looks away, her mouth shut. Marina looks at Pearl, then to Amber. "Pearl... lost her voice. She had to blow her voice out to stop the phone from destroying Inkopolis. She won't be able to speak until tomorrow."

Amber raises an eyebrow and says "Destroy Inkopolis?" Marina blushes and says "Maybe another time I can tell you. Right now, I think we have someone who needs to meet the rest of the city."

Everyone looks over to Octari, and she raises an eyebrow in confusion. Her eyes then widen, and she blushes in embarrassment. "O-Oh! You mean me." Everyone nods in confirmation.

The agents all get up, Pearl waking Cap'n gently. They all go to the door and Marina opens it up. The agents all trickle out of the apartment, ready to get back to their lives. Marina goes to leave as well, when she sees Octari still in the apartment.

"Octari? Aren't you going to go see the city?" Octari shifts on her feet and looks down.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could… take me back to the subway?" Marina's eyes widen and she says "But you just got out! Why do you want to go back?!"

Octari looks at the ground a little longer, then back to the famous octoling. "Because I still have tests to do. They give me mem cakes and I want as many as possible." Marina looks at the octoling agent a little longer.

Eventually, she nods. With a smile, Marina says "I'll bring you back." Octari's eyes widen and she says "Really?!" Marina nods. Octari smiles and says "Thank you!" Marina just giggles.

She then says "Well then, let's go, shall we?" Octari nods, her smile much more determined. "Yeah!" Octari finally walks out, and the two depart for the metro.

**-Octo Canyon-**

"And that is it. I hope you liked the little adventure we had." The agents all voice their agreements. "That was awesome!" "So much action!" "This subway sounds like fun…"

Cap'n laughs and says "Alrighty squiddos! Why don't we call it finished here and go finish our day. Agent 8 should return soon, so you can meet her then." The agents nod and begin exiting the canyon.

Cap'n watches as the agents leave the cabin. He smiles, then turns to his cabin. He sits on the chair, sighing in happiness.

"Is it true my grandniece is in this subway?" Cap'n's eyes widen and he looks around. His eyes then fall on a large octoling walking past the archway leading to the kettles.

Cap'n's eyes narrow slightly as he says "Yes, she is. What are you doing here Octavio?" Octavio sighs at the hostile response Cap'n gave.

"I've come… for your forgiveness." Cap'n raises an eyebrow at that. Octavio suddenly kneels in front of Cap'n and says "I have done many terrible things. It may have not been my choice, but it took me so much longer to fight back then it should've. Many brave people died fighting an unnecessary war."

Cap'n continues to stare in belief at the kneeling king. He eventually sighs, then says "You don't need forgiveness." Octavio looks up in disbelief, wondering what Craig was going on about.

Craig looks Octavio in the eyes and says "I too regret the past. I killed many comrades turned enemies in the great turf war and it haunts me every day. But, it was also not my choice. Do not let the past rule you Octavio, you cannot change it."

Octavio looks at Craig for a little bit, then stands back up. He plants his hands on his hips and smirks. "Still as overly emotional as always Craig."

Craig simply smiles and says "I try. Now, why don't you sit. We have much to talk about." Octavio nods and says "That we do." The octoling king goes over to the war veteran and sits down. The two friends, their friendship broken long ago, now begin to rebuild what was lost.

**-Author Notes-**

**Thus ends the Octo Expansion. Things will be much more interesting from here on out, and a lot easier to follow. I hope you enjoyed!**


	37. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

"How the hell are you doing this?" Craig scratches his head in wonder and disbelief as Octavio once again jumps four of his pieces in their checkers game.

Octavio just leans back, head resting in his hands, and says "A king never reveals his secrets." Craig glares at the octo king, then moves a piece.

Octavio goes to do the same, when the kettle behind them shakes. The two look over in curiosity as they see a mass of magenta ink appear on top of the kettle.

Callie shakes the ink off of her, then grins widely. "Agent 8 is back! Let'g go grandpa!" Craig chuckles and says "Alright Callie, I'll come." Secretly, in his head, he thinks "_Let's me leave behind these rigged games."_

As the inkling goes over to his granddaughter, Octavio coughs to get their attention. "If I may, I'd like to come as well. I need to see my grandniece." Craig smiles instantly and nods. Octavio sighs gratefully and follow the inklings out of the canyon.

**-Inkopolis Square-**

The small group got about what they expected when they stepped into plain sight. Inklings all over the square instantly recognize the famous figures in the group.

"Look, it's Callie!" "Hey, isn't that Captain Cuttlefish?" "U-Um, that's one big octoling." "Shush! That's the king, you dimwit!"

Octavio was glancing around discreetly, gauging the reactions of the inklings. Most of the younger inklings, ones between 14-30 were looking at him in awe or respect. The few that were older than that looked on in fear or hatred.

He sighs as he realizes that fact. He could escape the scorn of the younger generation, but the older inklings will never forget the war. He could tell that much and he didn't expect them to forget. He couldn't forget himself.

The trio walk slightly faster, trying to get away from the sudden crowd around them. Most stayed clear of their path, but a few tried to get an autograph from Callie. The glares Cap'n and Octavio sent were usually enough to send them scurrying away.

Eventually, Callie reaches an apartment complex. She opens the door and ushers the old friends inside, thankful that the crowd finally dispersed. She looks around for any crazy fans, then shuts the door behind her.

She sighs in relief as she can finally move around without being hoarded by fans. She turns to the older duo and says "Follow me." The trio then begins to scale the stairs to their destination.

Octavio could hear a loud commotion before he even enters the apartment. They eventually reach a single door, a tirade of voices coming from behind it. Callie knocks, waiting for an answer.

Eventually, the door is opened by a familiar brown-tentacled octling. "Oh, hi Callie! Did you get Cap'n like you wanted?"

Callie nods enthusiastically and says "Yep, he's right here." Cap'n waves to the famous octoling. Callie then gestures behinds her and says "I also brought a friend."

Marina goes to say hi, but then freezes when she realizes who it was. She had no knowledge of the civil war and, as such, didn't know that Octavio was innocent of his crimes.

Octavio's own eyes widen as he finally recognizes the octoling. That color tone was recognizable from anywhere. "Combat engineer Marina Ida. So this is where you ran off to."

Marina glares at Octavio slightly and says "Yes. Is that a problem _your highness?_" Marina's voice was slick with venom, despite the almost calm expression she had.

Octavio mentally flinches at the tone, but outwardly shows no sign of being affected. "No, it is not. I will let you live here if that is your choice."

Marina's retort dies in her throat as she processes what she heard. Was her king, the one who controlled his own people with his music, OK with him living with inklings? No way was this was correct… or was it?

The pop octoling steps off to the side, mulling around in her thoughts. Octavio and Cap'n take this as a chance to get inside and slip by the distracted octoling.

Callie puts a hand on Marina's shoulder and says "What's wrong?" Marina snaps out of her thoughts, but she still heard Callie's question.

She looks at Octavio and says "I… I don't exactly know. Octavio controlled us, used us, and he always wanted a war. Now… he suddenly is fine with me being with inklings? I don't get it, and I certainly don't understand how a treaty was put into place."

Callie looks at Octavio with a serious expression. "Remember that time when me, Marie, and Ika disappeared for a few weeks. I guess me longer?" Marina nods. She could remember the night she found Callie, battered and half-dead, splattered all over the studio window. It still shook her how much her idol had been beaten.

Said inkling looks to Marina and says "That was because we were helping Octavio. He's been controlled by an evil chancellor the whole time, threatening Octavio with the possibility of turning all the octolings into mindless slaves with a sound."

Marina frowns as she considers this. She did see some times where the Octavio the public had known contradicted some of his own actions. And the final battle did seem too easy for the agents…

Callie, seeing she was getting through, decides to go with one more push. "Marina, if anything will convince you, then look who tagged along. If anyone would have a grudge on Octavio, it would be my grandpa, but he is fine with Octavio. He's even happy to be with him."

Marina's unique eyes widen as she realizes what Callie said was true. According to the stories, Octavio should detest Cap'n Cuttlefish, and vice versa. And yet, the two seem to be enjoying the other's company, almost relishing it.

Marina finally makes up her mind. "I will let him slide. But, if anything fishy happens, then I will personally boot him back to Ceph City." A flame suddenly seems to materialize within Marina's eyes.

Callie smiles nervously and says "O-Of course! You do that…" An angry Marina was a terrifying sight and this seemed close to anger.

The two then rejoin the agents, who were all present in Pearl and Marina's apartment. They did notice a few missing, namely the agent Octavio came to meet. He looks around, his face slightly distrat as he doesn't see the familiar mop of red that he is accustomed to.

Pearl notices the expression, then grins. "Don't worry Octobro, Eight's in the other room with her new friend. I can call her out." Pearl then turns to the adjacent room, voices suddenly registering in Octavio's mind, and yells "Hey Eight! Someone's here to see you."

Octari looks out of the room as she hears Pearl's voice. "Alright! Be there in a second!" Octari then turns to Dedf1sh and says "Try these on. It'll go better than the old clothes you have on right now." The sanitized inkling nods, then goes to the bathroom to change. She had yet to meet anyone yet, Octari sneaking her into the apartment with her bag, so she wanted to look nice doing it. Her current clothes were worn and slightly tattered, a sign of long age.

Octari walks out of the room, saying "What'd ya need Pe-" Octari's words fade as her gaze lands on the giant octoling in the room. He towered over the others, and as such was hard to miss.

Octavio spreads out his arms and says "Come here, my little princess!" Octari's eyes suddenly fill with tears and she chokes in a sob. She beams brightly and yells "Uncle Octavio!"

Octavio's breath leaves him as he gets slammed into by an 18-year-old octoling. Octari clings onto Octavio's robe tightly and says "I missed you so much!"

Octavio gently brushes his hand along Octari's tentacles. The gesture, familiar even through her semi-amnesia, helped calm her down immensely. "I missed you too, princess."

Octari smiles as she looks up to Octavio. "I had such a cool adventure! I lost my memories in the process and my tentacles changed color but it was fun! I even made a new friend."

Octavio chuckles as he hears the excited octoling tell of her adventure. He knew the important parts, so he got a kick out of hearing he stories. He was slightly worried about her tentacles though.

What was once pure red was now faded into dark blue on the bottom. A color combination like that was unheard of and Octavio couldn't help but worry about how her body was handling it.

Eventually, he couldn't stand it anymore. "Octari, I need to see something." Octari raises an eyebrow and says "Oh, what's that?"

Octavio looks around, then his eyes land on an empty cup. He looks to Marina and says "Mind if I use this for an ink test?" Marina just lets him do it.

Octavio hands the cup to Octari and says "Spit in that." Octari looks at her great uncle in confusion, but obliges. She spits, ink flying out of her mouth into the cup.

Octavio picks up the cup, his body tensed beyond belief. He sighs in relief as he sees the normal red ink that Octari had. Octari just shakes her head and says "Not gonna question… whatever that was."

"U-Um… Octari? Is it ok for me to come out now?" Octari's eyes widen as she realizes she forgot about Dedf1sh. "Oh, sorry F1sh! You can come out now!"

Octavio's eyes widen in disbelief as he hears the voice. That belonged to… no, she couldn't be here. She was gone… killed in the war. But he couldn't deny that sweet, timid voice he instantly recognized.

Dedf1sh walks out of the bedroom, one arm clutching the other for support. She hides slightly behind her long hair and says "H-Hello…"

The room goes silent as they all take in Dedf1sh's appearance. Octavio was having the most trouble. Her skin was different, along with her eyes and tentacles, but he was certain it was her.

Octavio stands up shakily, saying "Could it be… could it really be you?" F1sh tilts her head in confusion, her shyness suddenly disintegrating. "Huh? Do I know you?"

Octavio doesn't seem to register the comment as he moves close to Dedf1sh. The female octoling had to look up just to see Octavio's face, but then he kneels. He puts a hand under F1sh's chin, looking her in the eyes. He suddenly smiles widely, his eyes filling with tears. "I-It really is you… Octavia."

The agents' eyes go wide as they recognize the name from the story, Octari's most of all. Dedf1sh simply tilts her head and says "Octavia? That isn't my na-" Dedf1sh's sentence freezes as a sudden flash, similar to the ones Octari got, hits her head.

_Octavio walks into a room in his palace, drawn by the music present. He looks around, his eyes eventually landing their gaze on the small octoling in the corner. She had headphones on and was messing with a DJ booth._

_Octavio grins and says "Well, looks like the princess is becoming a DJ just like her daddy." Octavia jumps slightly, then giggles. The octoling had only just turned 14 a few weeks ago, so she was a little midget compared to her dad._

"_I wanna become a DJ, just like you! I wanna be a cool queen when I grow up!" Octavio laughs and goes over to the smaller octoling. He picks her up easily and tosses her in the air, Octavia laughing delight. He sets her on his lap as he sits on the booth's chair._

_He looks to his daughter and says "So, what was that song you made? It was certainly an interesting song." Octavia beams at the praise and says "I call it Crush 14! It's my first song!"_

_Octavio laughs and says "And I am certain many more will come. Now let's go eat before your mother gets angry." The two walk out of the room, the DJ booth continuing to play Octavia's song._

Dedf1sh's eyes widen as she suddenly retrieves a memory. It was the first she's gotten since breaking free of the phone's control, and already it gave her a load of information.

Dedf1sh looks to Octavio in slight disbelief. "D-Daddy?" The delight felt by Octavio could be felt by every agent in the room.

The king opens his arms, just as he did Octari, and beckons her closer. Dedf1sh, or now Octavia, hesitates. Her eyes tear up, then she collapses into the older octoling's embrace. "Oh daddy! I can't believe I found you!"

Octavio picks the octoling up as easily as if she were a feather. He mutters comforting comments into her ear, ignoring the cold and sickly feeling he was getting from her skin.

Octavia, after a torrent of tears falls onto Octavio, eventually pulls back. She smiles nervously and says "I-Im guessing you have come questions?" Octavio nods, putting her down in the process.

Just as Octavia puts her feet on the floor, she is instantly swung around by another Octoling. "I can't believe it! My aunt is alive!" Octari puts Octavia on the floor and, her eyes practically sparkling, says "How did you survive that attack?! I heard stories and I know that no one survived!"

Octavio then strides up to the two and says "Or so we thought. Octavia, why don't you tell us what happened."

Octavia rubs her arm self-consciously, then sits down. "I… I can't. The sanitization took away my memories. I'm guessing I only remembered you because you are so close to me…"

Octavio's eyes suddenly narrow dangerously, a bright green glow underneath his sleeve. Craig's eyes widen when he sees that. Octavio doesn't notice and says "Who did this to you?! I need to… speak with them."

Octari then jumps in, grinning widely. "Oh, the phone did it! But I already defeated him, so no need to worry. We just need to fix aunt Octavia now!"

Octavio's glares eventually diminishes, but the anger was still there. He looks at Marina and says "Marina! Do you know any way to reverse this sanitization?"

Marina looks down, suddenly feeling much like Octavia did. "I-I think so. It's just a theory based on what I found out about the sanitization process."

Suddenly, switching to what Pearl called 'lecture mode', Marina says "The sanitization process is done by removing the normal ink within the subjects body, then replacing it with the blue sanitized ink. This ink acts as a suppressant and lowers all vital signs, which eventually causes physical changes. This is probably how Octavia lived so long and still looks young. The main part is what the ink does to the brain. It essentially breaks the will of the subject, destroying their ability to make their own decisions. This allows them to be controlled, such as by the phone, but it can also be restored if Octavia is anything to go by."

Octavia nods in confirmation to this. "It's true. I can't really feel, smell, or taste very well. My sight and hearing is amazing as a result, but not much else. Everything just feels… cold."

Octavio looks at his daughter in worry, then says "Is there any way to cure it completely?"

Marina nods and says "Since the process is done by replacing the ink, we just need to get the ink back. To do this Octavia will need to go through an ink drainage, then a transfusion. Luckily we have two family member right here. Plus, since her tentacles are still red on the end, that means the ink won't hurt her."

Octari's eyes sparkle as she suddenly gets an idea. "Does that mean sanitized ink can't hurt me either?!"

Marina smiles nervously and says "No, that ink can still hurt you. It isn't like normal ink, so it doesn't behave the same either." Octari just turns around and grumbles, the words 'girl power station so much easier' barely audible.

Octavia looks to Marina, hope in her eyes, but also fear. An ink drainage was painful, but she also doubted that the phone used the necessary tactics to do it safely. "How long will this surgery take?"

Marina looks up, presumably thinking, then says "Probably a couple hours. You'll need to stay hospitalized after to recover, plus to receive the ink transfusion. Even then, it could take weeks or months to get results."

Octavia looks down, slightly distraught at the time table. At the same time, she was feeling an extreme amount of hope. If this operation did work, then she could become normal again. She hoped with all her being that it would work.

She looks back to Marina, a determined smile in place. "Let's do it." Marina smiles, then nods. The agents, silent through the exchange, now begin asking Octari and Octavia questions. While Octari was happy to answer any, a little prideful in the answers, Octavia was constantly flustered by the comments. She often hide behind her hair, hoping beyond hope it would stop the torrent of voices.

Octavio smiles as he follows behind. The agents, surrounding Octavia as they were, completely blocked her from public view as they moved to the hospital. "_Good. It's better we keep this between us for a little while."_

Craig falls back to his friend, then smiles and says "Seems that your bad luck finally ended, old friend." Octavio smiles as he watches his daughter suddenly laugh at something Whinter said. "Aye, that it did. That it did."

**-Author Notes-**

**Things are going to become calmer for a while now. I have some things planned for a later arc, but we'll enjoy the fun the expanded agency now has. Besides, they have two new worlds (The Underground and the Metro) to explore. **

**Also, in case you didn't catch it, the 'bad luck' Octavio had was the many years he was under Octavius's control, plus him losing the great war. Now, things are finally turning around for the old king.**

**I hoped you enjoyed! Oh, and also, if you can, please leave a review! The lack of comments makes me wonder if I am doing something wrong. I hope not, but I can only tell if someone says so. So if you can, please review! See you in the next chapter!**


	38. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

The door to the hospital swings open, the group dispersing slightly, going to different areas of the waiting room. Octavio, Octari, and Octavia all go to the front desk.

The inkling at the desk, a female inkling with glasses and white tentacles, doesn't look up from her computer when the three get to the desk. Octavio coughs, and the nurse says "How may I help you?"

Octavio frowns at the annoyed tone in her voice, but decides to ignore it. "I have a… special case for the doctors. I need to speak with your best surgeon."

The nurse furrows her eyebrows and says "Dr. Kellan then. I will call him down if you'd like Mr..."

Octavio nods his thanks and says "Octavio. And yes, that would be nice." The nurse opens a new page, types in a quick email, then says "Please take a seat and he will be with you shortly."

Octavio bows slightly, but the nurse doesn't notice. She somehow did all of that without looking at them once. What a shock it would've been for her if she realized she was talking to the king of the octolings. What he didn't know was that the nurse was sweating bullets when she heard the name Octavio.

The three octolings go to sit down, few other inklings all staring in awe at Octavio, or wonder at Octavia. Octavia shrinks slightly at the gazes, but Octari pulls her close. She looks at the sanitized octoling with a grin, and Octavia can feel herself calm down.

After about ten minutes, a door opens up. A single inkling, his tentacles a brownish-orange and tied in the typical ponytail, says "Octavio?" The inkling, presumably Dr. Kellan, doesn't look up from his papers. Octavio wonders on that. "_It's like this clinic finds the papers more interesting than their patients."_

Octavio raises up, the other agents following suite. Octavio puts a hand out and shakes his head. He leads Octavia over, telling even Octari to stay in the waiting room. She grumbles but listened.

Dr. Kellan, seemingly satisfied with his look over of his papers, finally looks up. His words instantly die as he sees the very familiar octoling in front of him. He stutters, then tries a smile, one that didn't quite seem confident. "K-King Octavio! I didn't r-realize it was the same person."

Octavio shakes his head at the sudden nervousness in the doctor, then says "No need to worry about the formalities. I just need to speak with you on something important."

Dr. Kellan nods and says "Alright. Please, follow me." He turns around and leads the two octolings deeper into the hospital. After a few turns, they stop in front of a doctor's office. They enter, Octavio having to duck slightly due to his height. The octolings take a seat while Dr. Kellan sits behind his computer.

He looks at Octavio and says "So, what needs to be discussed?"

Octavio gestures to Octavia and says "My daughter, Octavia, has an extremely rare condition. It was caused by her ink being replaced and it in turn caused all of this, including memory loss. We theorize the best way to cure it is through an ink drainage, then an ink transfusion."

Dr. Kellan seems to suddenly notice Octavia, even though he did notice the discolored octoling before. "I see. Well, I'll need to take some examinations to be sure. If you don't mind?"

Octavio nods and says "Of course, anything to get her back to normal." Octavio pushes the younger octoling gently forwards. Octavia timidly walks over to the bed, then sits on it.

Dr. Kellan then gets up and grabs his stethoscope. He pulls up the sound enhancer, then places it just above Octavia's chest. "I need you to take a deep breath, then breath out."

Octavia does as requested, but Dr. Kellan frowns. "Hmm. Your lungs sound fine, but something's not quite right." He lets the sound amplifier hang from his neck and says "I need to check your pulse."

Octavia tilts her neck as the doctor puts his fingers on her skin. Now that he could feel the skin, he knew something was wrong. Her skin was cold and slimy, usually signs of death or decay. It would explain the green coloring.

His eyes narrow as he feels around for a pulse. There was no sign of a heartbeat, and yet she was still alive. This was very concerning.

The doctor takes off his stethoscope and says "This is indeed a very strange condition. Her heartbeat is non existent, and yet her lungs still pull in air and other functions that would cease after death are still going."

He turns to a case behind him, then pulls out a syringe and a swab. He goes over to Octavia and says "I am going to draw some ink. Are you ok with that?"

Octavia blushes slightly at that. An ink transfusion could be done through the arm, just like medicine, but drawing ink required the syringe to go into the person's ink sack. That was located near their back, so Octavia was noticeably embarrassed.

Despite this, she nods anyways. The doctor could see she was flustered, so he says "I don't need you to remove your shirt. Simply lay on your stomach and I can do the rest." Octavia breathes a mental sigh of relief and lays down.

Dr. Kellan grabs the octoling's shirt and lifts it slowly, careful to go no further than needed. He puts it up to the base of her neck, right above the ink sack. He takes this syringe and goes to the upper left corner of her back, just above her bra strap. He puts the syringe in, draws the ink, then pulls it out.

Octavia turns around and pulls the back of her shirt down as the doctor examines the ink. It was a light blue color, and had shadings of green in it. It looked like soap.

He brings the ink to a machine on the counter and pours the ink into the container. He flips the machine on and watches as data begins to fly across the screen. "Multiple forms of suppressants, octarian ink, inkling ink, blood, hmm…"

He turns back to the two octolings and says "This is in fact a suppressing ink. It seems to take in properties of both octarian ink and inkling ink, and has been mixed with multiple suppressants, some of which seem man-made. Based on this information, your theory of an ink drainage and an ink transfusion should work. I can set you up for an appointment on a later date."

Octavio shakes his head and says "No, I'd like this done now. She's had this condition for years and we only just found out it can be cured."

Dr. Kellan looks a little upset at being refuted, but sighs. "I'll see what I can do King Octavio. Your daughter does have a very special condition and anything could happen."

Octavio nods his thanks and goes to leave, ushering Octavia out as well. "Thank you. We will be waiting for your response in the waiting room." The octolings then leave, leaving the doctor to mull over his new discover.

The two walk back into the waiting room, Octari instantly going over. "So, how is it? When will the surgery happen?"

Octavio looks at his grandniece and says "We don't entirely know. The doctor will tell us shortly."

Octari looks a little upset at the answer, but she sits down. Soon, all the agents are idly chatting with each other as they wait for the doctor to come back.

Eventually, after a few long minutes, Dr. Kellan re-enters the room. He looks a little surprised at the group of people, but masks it quickly. He turns to Octavio and says "I can have her come now. We have no serious appointments currently that require me specifically. Is this ok?"

Octavio looks to his daughter, who looks a little startled at the thought of going in now. She mulls it over, going over the pros and cons. She didn't think she was ready just yet, but she couldn't deny the feeling of excitement she was getting. She looks to her father and nods.

Octavio nods back and turns to the doctor. "That'll be fine." Dr. Kellan smiles and says "Alright, if you could follow me."

As he turns away, he notices the single red octoling staying behind. He turns back and says "Oh, she'll need to come with."

Octavio stops in his tracks, confused, Octari equally so. "Oh? Why is that?"

Dr. Kellan coughs, then says "No offense King Octavio, but you are much too old to do the ink transfusion. Your ink is much less concentrated than younger inklings and octolings. As such, I'll need the other octoling to come, since she is younger. I assume she is a family member, no?"

Octavio looks a little offended at being called old, but he knew the doctor was right. He nods and says "Yes, she is. Octari." Octari instantly stands to attention, almost comically. Octavio rolls his eyes, then says "Go and help Octavia. She'll need it." Octari nods, then goes to her aunt with a grin.

"So Fish, ready to go?" Octavia nods with a small smile. She was still timid, but she couldn't deny the feeling of excitement she was getting. Dr. Kellan smiles as well and says "Then if you can come this way please." The two octolings follow him into the hospital hallways.

**-3 hours later-**

Octari swoons slightly as she leaves the room. They certainly needed a lot of ink for Octavia. Luckily, the ink drainage went without a hitch and they put the IV drip while she was knocked out. Octari herself was feeling slightly strange without a fully filled ink sack.

However, in Octavia's room, things were different. The doctors were gone, and the IV drip was running its course. Octavia, seemingly peaceful, was going through something strange.

_Octavia looks around at the place she was in. It looked like the castle she remembered from before, but she couldn't be sure. She sees the same DJ booth and walks over. She smiles, then presses a few buttons._

_A heavenly melody begins to play, and Octavia couldn't help but giggle as she begins working with the music. She's done this for so long it's become second nature to her. Her fingers fly across the booth, adjusting tones and rhythms and adding effects of her own. Soon, the Calamari Inkantation became more than normal._

_She sighs, then notices something odd. The booth's right disc, it had something blue on it. Octavia leans closer and swipes her green figure across the substance. She almost instantly flinches back when she feels a mental intrusion in her thoughts._

_The goo flies away, then more join it. Soon, a tirade of blue goo was combining into one substance. It forms completely, and Octavia gasps. It looked like an octoling, but he had the same sanitized features as the other metro octolings. He wore a commander's outfit and hat, but his body also seemed to be goopy, like it couldn't hold itself together fully._

_The octoling stares for a bit, until it narrows its eyes. Octavia's breath hitches and she brings her arm to her chest in surprise. Or, she would've. She suddenly realizes that she couldn't move a muscle, not even her eyes were moving._

_The strange octoling swipes a hand in front of him, and suddenly everything disappears. Octavia lets out a gasp of breath, then coughs as dust fills her lungs._

"_COMMANDER OCTAVIA! We need to activate the ink strike, now!" Octavia looks over in confusion, wondering what was happening. _

_Suddenly, a blast is heard and an octoling flies by, drenched in green ink. Her eyes widen when she sees the octoling breath once, then die. No splatting, the life just drained from his eyes._

_Octavia breathes heavily, then ducks as another blast goes off. She realizes she was holding a gun and holds it tight. She found some solace in the Octo Shot. _

_She looks over and realizes that the area they were in was filled with tall buildings. They were fighting in the plaza of some city. Her eyes widen more when she recognizes the familiar sight of Inkopolis Tower._

"_Commander Octavia!" Octavia snaps out of her thoughts, then looks over to the person who spoke. He looked just like the strange octoling from before, but he looked like a normal octoling and his tentacles were a purple, just like the other octolings around._

"_We need to send that ink strike right now!" Octavia looks over and notices a prone Octo Shower, and ink strike in its grip. She shakes her head, trying to deny having to send the order to kill so many._

_Unbeknownst to her, her body begins acting on its own accord. She nods slowly, then says "Do it." Octavia's eyes glaze over as the octoling nods and runs away. They suddenly clear up, and Octavia's eyes widen._

_She picks herself up, screaming "NO! DON'T DO IT!" The octoling doesn't hear her, or doesn't listen, and continues running across the battlefield. He stops at the machine, then presses a button. The ink strike shakes, then flies into the air._

_Octavia's eyes widen as she sees the ink strike fly. Then, just a sudden as the octarian ink strike, another ink strike comes from the other side. Her eyes widen even more, and soon fear fills them. She had a bad feeling about this._

_**BOOOOM!**_

_The ink strikes collide midair, ink flying everywhere. Something happened to the ink and it turns a purple-green color, a sickly looking color that looked very harmful. The ink begins to fall, instantly damaging any in its blast radius._

_Octavia, exposed as she was, had no chance in surviving. She sees the ink begin to fall, then screams. Her vision goes black, or almost black. She could make out a single figure, what looks like an octoling, carrying her. The octoling was green. _

_Then, as if it knew Octavia was watching, the octoling looks down. It tilts its head, almost as if in wonder. Then, it grins, its long fangs shown clearly. It then snaps at Octavia, going beyond the black and right into her face._

Octavia's eyes snap open wide and she screams. She breathes heavily, then notices she was in the hospital room. She breathes a sigh of relief, then shakes her head. "Must've been a dream.

She lays back down, shifting slightly to get comfortable. She takes extra care of the IV she noticed in her arm, then tries drifting back to sleep. She is luckily able to, no more nightmares appearing. She never noticed the tiny patch of peach skin around where the IV was.

**-Author Notes-**

**A shorter chapter, but it was important. Now Octavia begins her path of recovery from the sanitization. I hope you all enjoyed, and if you can please leave a review! It'll be very much so appreciated, and I hope you all enjoy your day/night!**


	39. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

The doors to the hospital swing open as a single figure steps out. Her red hair, suction cups all over the top of them, sways gently in the breeze. Her piercing green eyes search the city before her, the first time she could simply look without an objective in mind.

The area was bustling with inklings of all sorts. Some were young teenagers, just starting turf wars. Some were much older, obviously the ones who ran or worked in the many businesses around the plaza.

She suddenly hears a little jingle and looks up to the giant screen on the large tower in front of her. Pearl and Marina are seen, right in their studios, and the start off their usual news broadcast.

Pearl smirks and says "You know what time it is!" Marina smiles and says "It's Off the Hook, live from Inkopolis square!"

The white-haired inkling then looks over to Marina and says "Hey Marina, why don't we say the good news?"

Marina, true to the script, says "Oh?! What kind of good news?!"

Pearl smiles and says "Why, the treaty of course!"

The octoling DJ puts a hand up to her mouth in surprise and says "Oh! I forgot about that!" In truth, she didn't. She couldn't stop thinking about it ever since she heard about it the first time.

Pearl smiles and nods to the camera. A picture of Octavio and an old inkling in a black suit shaking hands pops up on screen. "Seems like the President and King Octavio finally finalized the treaty. Inkopolis and Ceph City are now allies!"

The inklings around them all go quite in slight surprise, then a loud cheering rings out. Octari's eyes widen in surprise, not expecting the reaction. Ever since she's gotten out of the metro, she's been slowly getting her memories back. One of them was the incredible hostility between the races, something pounded into her head since she was just a little octopus.

As such, the sudden cheering at an alliance was a big surprise. Some inklings close to her suddenly point at her and begin cheering louder. Octari's eyes widen as a crowd forms around her, bombarding her with questions.

"Wow, an Octoling! How does it feel being in Inkopolis?" "Oh man, you look so cool! Can we battle some time?!" "Red tentacles! Isn't that rare?"

Octari gets slightly flustered and forms a nervous smile as she tries to get the crowd away from her. She never notices a single inkling in the back, his green tentacles slicked back on top of his head. He scowls, a glare behind his glasses, and strides off with anger in his steps. "_Damn octolings. They don't belong here, not after that war."_

Eventually, the crowd begins to break off. Octari finally gets a breath of fresh air, then strides down the street to the grate that she knows leads to Octo Canyon. She notices quite a few inklings, especially male, watch her go by. She ignores them and stops at the grate. With a little hop, she jumps in side.

**-Octo Canyon-**

The pipe shakes, then spews out red ink. Octari forms herself back together, then looks at who was present. She sees Cap'n Cuttlefish sleeping on his chair, but no other agents were there.

Octari runs over to the captain and shakes his arms gently. His eyes flutter open, then he realizes Octari is there. "Agent 8? What are you doing here?"

The red octoling looks slightly embarrassed, but pushes on. "I… I was wondering. Could I maybe go hang out with the other agents? I'd like to know them better."

Cap'n raises an eyebrow and Octari wonders if she said something wrong. Then, the old inkling smiles and nods. "Here, let me write the addresses down." Cap'n reaches behind him and grabs a pen and paper and begins jotting down multiple addresses.

After he is finished, he rips the paper out and hands it to Octari. "Here you go. Now go have some fun." Octari nods her thanks, then leaves the Canyon.

**-Inkopolis Square-**

Once Octari pops out of the grate, she looks at the list of addresses. She could see Pearl and Marina in their studio, so they were out of the question. "_I guess I could try Callie and Marie first."_ She reviews the address, then takes off.

As she moves along, Octari takes in the incredible sights around her. Buildings towered over her and a new shop was seen every few feet. It was incredible the amount of activity here! This never would've happened at home.

Octari frowns slightly as she thinks about her home. It was militaristic, but it also held a lot of fun events. Despite that, it was hard living down there. Power was scarce, the most they could make being the generator at the river.

Still, it was her home. She's spent her whole life there, she thinks, and it held a special place in her heart. But, she couldn't deny the feeling of awe and longing she got when she was in this city. She felt more belonging here than any time at home.

While she was in her thoughts, Octari doesn't notice that she was wondering closer to the buildings. Green eyes narrow as they see the octoling begin to walk by. A hand shoots out of the alley and grabs Octari. Octari yelps as she suddenly feels herself pulled into the alley.

Her breath leaves her as she falls onto the ground. She looks up, then scowls as she sees the person in front of her. He had green, slicked back tentacles. He was wearing a black jacket and pants, along with a white shirt underneath. A set of shades were on his eyes, and Octari could see the glare from behind them.

The inkling glares and says "I can't believe the president was as stupid as to let octolings in the city. You are nothing but war-loving bottom feeders."

Octari's eyes narrow and her fists clench. She goes to pick herself up, when she feels a sudden flare of pain in her side. She cries out as she slams into the alley wall.

The green inkling continues to glare, but a certain amount of amusement was also in his eyes. Sadistic amusement. "I didn't say you could get up trash. I ain't letting you leave until you have to drag yourself to the hole you crawled out of."

Octari touches her side, then winces slightly. It would definitely leave a nasty bruise. Other than that movement, she doesn't change position. This seems to aggravate the inkling, who scowls and says "Move damn you, or else I'll slam your face into the wall."

When Octari doesn't move again, the inkling growls loudly. He brings his leg back to kick her again, when she suddenly springs forwards. His eyes widen as he gets a flash of a fist in his face, then WHAM! His world is sent spinning as the blow connects.

Octari settles into a fighting stance, idly waiting for the inkling to get up. She knew that punch wasn't enough to down him, so she would be ready. The inkling would regret trying to attack one of Octavio's greatest fighters.

The inkling shakes his head, then glares back at Octari. His shades were cracked, and his nose was bleeding. "You damn monster!"

The inkling roars and throws himself at the octoling, swinging sloppily. Octari easily avoids the blow, then jabs her fist into his stomach. The breath is knocked out of the inkling, his insides feeling like they were being twisted. Then, an elbows slams into the top of his head and he goes down again. A sickening _crunch_ is heard as he connects with the ground.

Octari glares at her assailant, then scowls. "Servers you right." She lowers her fighting stance, then exits the alley, leaving the inkling there. The only thing she had to show she fought someone was the bruise on her side.

As Octari leaves the alley, she blinks as she notices the mansion towards the end of the adjacent road. She looks back at her address list, then at the street name. "This looks promising." She tucks the paper away, then strides over to the mansion.

Octari notices with slight surprise that the mansion was actually smaller than she believed. It seemed to have two stories, along with a pink, green, and black paint job. It had only three visible rooms on each floor, based on the windows she could see. Still, it was a big house.

Octari steps up to the house, then rings the doorbell. She waits a few moments, then decides to try again. After that didn't work, she decides the Squid Sisters must not be home. She turns away, slightly disappointed, then goes back to the intersection she was at before.

The red octoling pulls out her address list, reading the next person. "Ika… he must be the black-haired inkling that looked so much like Callie. Man he looked cool, but he lives on the other side of the square, a bit far. Who's next?"

Her eyes go to the next name, and they then widen. "Amber! Wasn't that Agent 3's name? This must be Agent 3's address." She looks at the address, then the map she pulled up on her phone of Inkopolis.

Octari types in the address, the dot for Ika's house disappearing. Another dot pops up, much closer than before. Octari smiles and says "Guess I'm going to meet Agent 3 for real." She puts away the list, then follows the map to Agent 3's house.

It turns out that the road she was on led to Flounder Heights. Amber's apartment was within the complex, closer to the bottom. Octari opens the door and looks at the few doors on the first floor. She sees the wrong numbers, then goes up a floor.

It was on the third floor of the seven that she finds Amber's apartment. She goes to the door, then knocks loudly. She shifts on her feet as she hears shuffling inside.

The doorknob begins to rattle, then the door opens. Amber is standing there, her face slightly bored. The stain was still there and very noticeable, but it didn't seem to irritate Amber anymore. She was wearing a simple white t-shirt, one shoulder of the shirt sagging and her bra strap visible. She also had on her normal shorts she wore with her hero outfit, but she was also wearing no shoes.

Amber's eyes lighten up in surprise and joy when she realizes who is at her door. "Octari? Didn't expect you here."

Octari smiles, a little embarrassed. She's never had to deal with these kinds of social situation before. She then says "I-I was wonder if we could… hang out?"

The yellow inkling's eyes widen slightly more, but then she nods. A small smile was on her face as she says "I'd love to." Octari breathes a small sigh of relief, then nods her thanks. Amber nods back, then steps to the side. "Come on in." Octari does just that and steps inside.

Octari searches the apartment, then finds that it was quite nice. The front entryway led to the living room. The kitchen, just beyond a little stretch of the wall, was to her right. She could also see a hallway there. To her left was a small dining room. The left wall also had a door which was open. It was the bathroom.

The apartment seemed slightly messy though. A few bits of trash was on the coffee table and the trash can was slightly bulging. A half-filled basket of dirty clothes was in the corner.

Amber walks past Octari, then sits on the couch. She gestures to a couch in front of her and Octari sits down. The octoling keeps looking around as Amber seems to get caught up in her thoughts.

"You know, you could really use some new clothes." Octari looks back to Amber, wondering what she meant. "Huh?"

Amber gestures to the outfit Octari was wearing, the same outfit she wore those few weeks ago when she first encountered Agent 3 and Cap'n. It was only her constant respawning in the metro that kept them decent. Now though, since she wasn't respawning, there were signs of dirt on them, along with ink stains.

"No offense, but they are getting pretty dirty. Plus, they are just too revealing." Octari looks down at herself and has to admit they did seem revealing. Her midriff wasn't covered and the skirt hung slightly lower on her hips. Maybe that was why those inklings were looking at her.

Amber then gets up and says "You can have some of mine. I have too many anyways." Octari's eyes widen and she goes to deny it when Amber puts a hand up. "Don't refuse. It's the least I can do for attacking you."

The octoling was about to say it wasn't her fault when Agent 3 walks away. Octari is left in the empty room as Amber searches her room for an outfit for Octari.

After a few minutes, Amber walks back out of her room. She had a shirt, shorts, and a hoodie in her hand. "Here, go change in these. See if they fit." Amber hands Octari the clothes, the octoling simply walking up and going to the bathroom.

Octari pulls her outer clothing off, flinching slightly as she finally registers the smell from the clothing. She puts on the shirt, a simple white t-shirt with a Cuttlefish logo on it. She puts on the shorts, black with a red stripe on both sides. She puts her boots back on, then looks at the hoodie. She wonders if she'll put it on, then decides against it. It was summer, she didn't need one yet.

The door to the bathroom opens and Octari steps out. She smiles nervously, a slight blush on her face. "How do I look?"

Amber seems to size her up, then smiles. "Looks good on you." Octari blushes, but her smile grows even larger.

The octoling sits back down on the couch. Amber leans back and says "So, what do you wanna do?"

Octari looks down as she considers the thought. She didn't think this far ahead. "Well, what do you want to do? I'm at a loss."

Amber raises an eyebrow, then shrugs. "Well, we could just talk." Octari smiles and nods. "I'd like that."

The yellow inkling gets a small smirk and says "So, any boys catch your eye?"

Octari does a complete 180 from the happy before. "What?! Why is that the first topic?!"

Amber just smirks wider and shrugs. "Seemed like a fun topic. You don't know much about Inkopolis."

The red octoling blushes even more, looking away. "W-Well, I guess there is one…"

Amber's face instantly lights up, big grin on her face and the energy she once had showing. "Oh?! Who is it?"

Octari's mouth forms a thin line, and she then says "W-Well, Ika always looked cool."

Amber's grin slowly fades away as she hears that. She sits back, then says "Just… cool? Is that all?"

Octari nods, embarrassed now. "I don't know. It was probably more admiration than anything else."

Amber shrugs in what appears to be apathy. In her head though, she breathes a sigh of relief. "So, anyone else?"

Octari thinks back on the group, then shakes her head. "No, I don't think so." Amber sighs in disappointment. Looks like her teasing can't go then.

The red octoling then looks out the window, slight worry on her face. "I hope Fish is ok. She is in a new place all by herself. I wonder how she feels."

Amber smiles and says "I'm sure she's fine. She isn't a weak person, I can see it in her eyes."

Octari's mouth forms a thin line at that. "I know that. I just… can't help but worry. I was the one who broke her free from her prison and I want to keep her happy, especially after I learned just how long she's been in there."

Amber sighs, but understands the point. "How about this. We'll go see her later to make sure she's ok, alright?" Octari's posture seems to ease up slightly and she nods.

The yellow inkling then smirks and grabs a game controller on her table. "Wanna play some Sonic?" Octari raises an eyebrow and says "Sonic? What's that?"

The shock on Amber's face threw Octari off as well. "WHAT?! You don't know what Sonic the Hedgehog is?!" Octari shakes her head, wondering if she made the right choice coming here.

Amber seems to suddenly switch from her calm and uncaring demeanor to a very hyperactive inkling. "Sonic the Hedgehog is an amazing game series created by the humans! You control a blue bipedal hedgehog that can move faster than the speed of sound. The games are intense and challenging."

Octari's interest seems to be roused, so Amber says "Come on, I'll teach you how to play." Octari smiles and slides over beside the inkling. She grabs a controller, then looks at the screen as a menu pops up. It featured a blue hedgehog looking creature waving his figure at them, a smirk on his face. The words "Sonic the Hedgehog" was under the creature.

"Ok, so you want to use the joystick to select the single player." Octari looks down at the joystick, then moves it down. The cursor on screen moves down and lands on single player. "Ok, now what?"

Amber points to the four buttons on the right side of the controller. She points to the X and says "Click that x button. It is your button to jump and to select something." Octari nods, then clicks the button. The cursor lights up, then a new screen appears. It had a list of "save files", one of which was already taken.

Amber grabs the joystick and pushes it to the left. It unselects the used save file and lands on an empty one. "Click the X." Octari presses the button and the screen fades to black.

Suddenly, a loud and very fast pace song begins playing. Words flash across the screen saying "Green Hill Zone". Then, the words fade and the game begins.

Amber gestures to the controller and screen, pointing out what each button does and how to play. The game had simple controls. Octari simply needed to move to the left or right and jump occasionally. She also had to jump on some robot bug things to defeat them. If she ran into them, she would get hurt or die if she didn't have any "rings".

After a few minutes, Octari was getting the hang of the game. Her tongue sticks out slightly as she speeds across the stage. She jumps on a Motobug, passes by a checkpoint, then spins into an underground tunnel. The tunnel loops downwards, building up her speed, then launches her forwards. She hits a sloped hill and flies into the air, collecting a large group of rings present in the sky.

Amber watches in slight surprise at the speed Octari picked up the game. She then chuckles softly at the unintentional pun in her thoughts.

Octari cheers as she flies past the end goal. Amber smiles and claps, saying "Nice job. That was a pretty quick pick up for something you've never done or even heard of." The octoling blushes and says "I'm a fast learner."

Amber just shakes her head, smile still in place, then says "Come on, let's go see how Octavia is doing." Octari nods and follows the inkling out of the apartment.

As the two walk along the road, Amber notices the inklings looking at her. Most seemed to be pointing out the stain on her face, something Amber was just now showing publicly. She frowns, then says "Hey Octari, know how to jump across buildings?"

Octari turns to Amber like she's crazy. "What? Jump across buildings?"

Amber nods and says "It's simple. Here, grab onto me." Octari's confusion rises even more and she hesitantly grabs the inkling. Amber looks around and, after seeing the inklings look away from her, curiosity satisfied, she turns to a building. She tenses herself, then jumps into the air.

Octari's eyes widen as she sees the ground disappear beneath them. A splotch of yellow ink was left behind from their departure, and she could see much farther. The two land on top of the building and Amber lets Octari down.

Octari looks to Amber in disbelief and says "How did you do that? How powerful are you?"

Amber shrugs and says "I can do a lot of things, but that was one that can be taught. Don't ask about the transformation though, that is something only I can do due to my ability." Octari's mouth clamps shut after that.

The yellow inkling puts a leg out and says "What I did was really simple. All I need is to turn my leg slightly into my squid form, like this." Octari watches with wide eyes as Amber's leg turns slightly yellow, ink seeming to appear on them.

Amber presses on her legs, then jumps. She flies at least ten feet into the air, lands, then says "Due to the elasticity of our swimmable forms and the pressure of our ink releasing when we compress, we can do our super jumps. I employ the same tactics, but simply on my legs. I turn them slightly elastic, then prepare for a jump. It looks exaggerated, but that squatting helps compress the ink in my legs. Once I jump up, the ink flies off of my legs, leaving a spot of ink and propelling me forwards. I can jump buildings and reach very high places like this."

Octari eyes widen immensely at this explanation. "Wow! That must be so useful!" Her eyes go back to normal as she gets a thought. "But, if you can do that, and you are an agent, why didn't you do it when you were fighting uncle Octavio the second time?"

Amber looks at her legs, seeming to think about it, then says "Well, I didn't do it cause I had no point. Sure, it may have made the levels easier, but I also had the chance of flying into the abyss or ink below me. Why take the chance of dying when I can go the normal route?" The octoling, after hearing the reason, nods in understanding. It did make sense that she would take the safe route.

Amber suddenly smirks and says "Well, why don't you try it." Octari's eyes widen and her face reddens, suddenly nervous. She glances at her legs, then whimpers slightly.

"U-Um…. I guess I can try…" Octari shifts slightly, then focuses on changing just her legs, and just a little bit. She gets a tingling feeling in her leg, then shivers slightly as the skin seems to disappear and be replaced with the inky body of her octopus form. She looks down, then smiles as she sees her legs red in color, ink dripping off of it.

Amber smiles and says "Very good. Now, simply squat down like I did and jump." Octari squats down like said, then looks up. She smiles in determination, then jumps up.

The feeling she gets was exhilarating. The air whips by her face, her tentacles flapping behind her in the wind. She smiles widely as she sees the ground disappear from her peripherals, the sky being the whole thing she can see. She looks down, then gasps in awe.

She had gone at least one hundred feet in the air, much higher than she anticipated. Luckily, this kind of height was normal when super jumping. She turns back to the ground, intent on landing correctly.

Amber watches, wide eyed, as Octari launches into the air. She sees her climb, then watches as the octoling turns to the ground and begins to fall. She smiles as she sees the determination on the octoling's face, not the nervousness present before.

Octari grits her beak and closes her eyes, bracing for the jarring impact. Her body slams into the building, her body turning into ink instinctively to absorb the impact. The puddle of ink splashes onto the roof in front of Amber, the inkling stepping clear of the landing zone. The puddle shakes a bit, then compresses back into Octari.

The octoling had an expression of complete awe on her face. "That. Was. AWESOME!" Amber laughs as Octari pulls her into a hug, the octoling spouting all sorts of thanks to her.

Amber pushes her off gently and says "Ok ok! I get it, it was fun, but we still need to visit Octavia, remember?" Octari's eyes widen, and she nods. The two then begin jumping across the buildings, Octari quickly learning how to get the correct amount of power. It was simple if you could super jump, which almost any squid or octopus could do.

The two land with a splash of ink in front of the hospital. They walk inside, Octari taking lead. She goes up to the desk and says "Um, excuse me?"

The nurse at the desk stops typing, then looks at the visitor. Her eyes seem to steel slightly and she says "May I help you?"

Octari raises an eyebrow at the slight hostility in the nurse's voice, but ultimately ignores it. "I'd like to visit Octavia Okutingu if you don't mind."

The nurse frowns, then turns back to her computer. "She is not having any visitors at the moment."

Octari frowns slightly in disappointment. "O-Oh… ok then. How long until she can be visited?"

The nurse scowls slightly and says "She cannot be visited, octoling."

Octari is taken back at the sudden hostility in the voice. She recognized it before, but didn't think much of it. This inkling seemed to actually hate her for some reason.

Amber growls at the treatment Octari was getting and gently pushes her aside. She glares at the nurse and says "Nurse, we would like to see out SICK friend who was JUST found out she can be cured! I think that can bypass a little rule, don't you think?"

The nurse just scowls right back and says "She cannot have visitors, not by an octoling!" Her eyes widen as she realizes what she just said.

Octari's eyes grow wide in hurt as she hears this. Amber's own eyes seem to disappear in shadows, a cold glint in them. "What did you say?"

The nurse shivers slightly at the cold voice. The anger was palpable in the air, she could feel it. Despite this, the nurse steels her own gaze and says "Octolings are not permitted in this hospital. They are nothing but scum.

If the nurse thought it was cold before, then it would've been a sauna compared to the icy glare Amber sent at her. "Say that one more time. I dare you." Despite the calmness in Amber's voice, the nurse could feel the rage radiating from her. Unspoken words hung in the air. _If you do, I will break you._

The nurse goes to refute, when a sudden voice says "Nurse Blanca! Just what do you think you're doing?" The nurse's face pales almost to the color of her tentacles when she hears the voice. She looks over and confirms her fears.

Dr. Kellan was moving up to the desk in a hurry, anger in each step. The nurse fumbles with her words as she tries to explain her actions. "I-I just was t-telling the octoling t-to go…"

Dr. Kellan growls and says "To me it sounded like a very large amount of prejudice, especially racism! You didn't act this way to King Octavio!"

The nurse looks away, seemingly embarrassed. But then she mutters "He's a king though…"

A hand slams onto the desk, startling the nurse. Dr. Kellan growls and says "And what make this any different!? A visitor is a visitor, and a patient is a patient, no matter the race! I expect you to learn that, or I will personally fire you!" The nurse nods rapidly and turns back to her computer, hiding her face from view.

Dr. Kellan sighs in disappointment in the nurse and satisfaction in his actions. He turns to the gaping inkling and octoling and says "Follow me, I'll lead you to Ms. Octavia's room."

The two follow Kellan, who sighs and says "I am sorry for Blanca's behavior. She can be a little… too much, I guess."

Amber nods and simply says "Thank you for defending us."

Dr. Kellan laughs as they turn another corner. "Oh it is nothing! Any visitor is allowed to come and go as seen fit! And it will be especially true for MY patient."

Octari tilts her head and says "Your patient?"

Dr. Kellan nods, but a blush of embarrassment forms on his face. "Yes, well, you see, there was an incident. A doctor decided he didn't like octolings and refused to treat Ms. Octavia. Managed to convince the other doctors she was incredibly contagious and had to be quarantined. I of course knew otherwise and have been treating her myself ever since. Quite an interesting one, she is."

Amber's eyes freeze over as she hears of more prejudice to octolings. This was getting out of hand now. Her eyes warm again, and she says "I'm just glad she's getting the treatment she needs." Dr. Kellan nods in agreement.

They stop in front of a door, Dr. Kellan pushing it open. "She's just in here." Amber nods her thanks and Octari gives a small bow. The door closes behind them as they enter.

Octavia looks over, her unique black eyes widening. "Oh! I didn't expect to see you again so soon."

Amber points to Octari and says "She dragged me here."

Octari slaps the inkling's shoulder and says "Oh shush! I know you wanted to come to."

Amber smiles and says "Maybe I did…"

Octavia giggles at the scene. Octari smiles, then says "So! Any progress?"

Octavia nods enthusiastically. She tilts her arm with the IV in it, showing the skin. A tiny patch of peach could be seen under the tape holding the IV in. "I already have some of my normal skin tone back! It isn't much, not by a long shot, but it at least proves it's working!"

Amber nods, a smile on her face, while Octari practically jumps for joy. "Yes! I knew it'd work! It just had to for someone like you!"

Octavia giggles some more, then says "Well, I'm assuming you wanted to talk with me?" Octari nods and pulls a chair up to the recovering octoling's bedside. She begins chatting away, telling the octoling of the adventures in her life. Amber simply watches with a smile, a silent guardian for the two family members. "_They experienced some of the loneliness I've felt. I'll make sure they won't ever feel it again."_ The night begins to come, filled with the happy voices of two octolings reunited.

**-Author Notes-**

**Things are slowing down for the time being. But, that doesn't mean the agents won't have some wacky fun in the mean time! We'll be seeing more crazy everyday adventures the agents experience, and maybe some side characters will get the spotlight! I hope you enjoyed, and if you can, please leave a review! It'll tell me how I am doing and what needs worked on. Thank you!**


	40. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

The sun begins to rise over the horizon, bathing Inkopolis in its light. The buildings sparkle as the sun hits the countless windows, only a few inklings awake to see the spectacle. Right about this time, a certain inkling would be waking up, if you want to call him that.

The blankets within a small apartment shift slightly as the sunlight enters the room. Eventually, the blankets are thrown off, a weary inkling in its place. Daniel stares at the ceiling, not ready to get out of bed. He knows he has to though and groans as he gets up.

The hybrid cracks his back, then walks to his closet. He grabs a black t-shirt and some sweatpants, then a jacket for the heck of it. He wasn't doing turf wars today so what he wore didn't matter.

He takes his clothing into the bathroom and sets them down. He turns on the shower, which begins to flow pure water. It took a lot of effort, but the landlord eventually let Daniel have running water in his shower instead of watered ink.

Daniel strips himself, then steps inside. It takes him only about ten minutes to finish. He gets out, grabs his clothing, and slips them on. He then looks at the mirror and stares.

He opens his mouth and puts a finger under one of the fangs he has. It was only the top ones, not the bottom middle like other inklings. Still, these were plenty sharp. He pokes his finger on it slightly, feeling the sharpness. He was always fascinated in how he worked. He was an enigma after all, a mix between mammal and cephalopod.

His eyes, masked by the black all inklings had, begin to focus on his arm. It was smooth, free of any hair humans had. Despite this, it emitted the same heat humans did, and his skin was the same as others of the race. But, his skin was also slimy and could still turn into ink. He couldn't become a squid otherwise.

Daniel shivers as he remembers the first time he turned into a squid. Believing he was a simple human with only slight differences, he wasn't ready for that event. His 14th birthday was an eye opener, and the day the truth was revealed to him. It's been three years since then.

The hybrid decides to stop lingering on his thoughts and walks out of the bathroom. He goes down the short hallway into his kitchen/dining room. The living room was just adjacent, the door out of the apartment beyond that.

He grabs a box of cereal and sits down to eat. He eats his breakfast in silence, enjoying the peace he was getting.

**BANG BANG**

His eyes narrow in irritation. "_Until that happens."_ Daniel sighs and gets up, moving to his door. He opens the door, but then smiles in surprise. "Whinter! What are you doing here?"

The blue inkling makes his way into the apartment, taking his shoes off as he does so. "Just wanted to see my buddy is all. You live alone, so you never know what happens." The inkling winks, a lecherous grin on his face. Daniel deadpans and simply slaps him, the inkling only laughing in response.

Whinter leans against the wall and says "So, what's happening?" Daniel shrugs and says "Nothing much. Other than Cap'n's story, nothing's really happened."

Whinter nods, a smile on his face. "Yeah, that story was certainly something. And now we have octolings in the city, one of which is under some sort of 'sanitization' thing. No clue what that is."

Daniel nods, then says "Well, I just wish something interesting would happen." Whinter looks at him in curiosity, wondering what the hybrid meant. Daniel, seeing the look, continues.

"I've loved my time here, don't get me wrong, and it's been an adventure ever since I came a year ago. But… all of you agents had an adventure to go on. You and Clementine fought Octavio the first time. Amber did it the second time, and then she went to an underground metro with Octari. Pearl and Marina were also in the metro, and then the Cuttlefish family does adventures almost all the time."

Whinter raises an eyebrow at this. "What brought this on?" Daniel shrugs, uncertain.

"I don't know. I just… I guess I want to prove myself, prove that I deserve the number I was given for joining the agency." Whinter analyzes the face he sees. A desire for proving himself, a thirst for action, and maybe a little longing for something more.

The blue inkling sighs, then says "Well, I guess we could try to find an adventure for you to go on. I can't guarantee it will be life or death like mine was, which honestly wouldn't be a problem." Daniel's eyes widen, and then he grins. "Thank you!" Whinter just shrugs.

The inkling grabs his shoes, then says "Now come on, the day just started. Let's get going while the light's young." Daniel nods and grabs his own shoes. The two then step out of the apartment, ready for a search.

The duo walks down the street, calmly talking to each other. They pass by multiple people, only a couple young ones looking at Daniel. Most inklings have seen or heard of the hybrid inkling, so he wasn't big news anymore.

The two fall into silence as they look for something to do. Whinter thought it would be best to simply see how the day plays out, see if anything adventurous pops up.

Daniel pulls out his phone and finds it to be around 9:30 in the morning. He looks around as well, wondering where to start.

Eventually, the blue inkling elbows him and says "Hey, I think I know a place to have a crazy adventure." He points to the solitary sewer grate in the corner and Daniel's eyes widen. The underground, of course!

The two run over to the grate and jump in without a second thought. None of the inklings around them even give them a glance as they do so.

The duo yells in delight as the rocket to the canyon, the pipe moving them at extreme speeds. After less than a minute, the two pop out of the pipe. Whinter shakes the ink off of him, noticing once again that his ink color was yellow now. He glances to Daniel and examines him.

The hybrid's hair was the same brown as normal, but a change did occur. Other than his ink color being yellow now, his eyes also turned yellow. Whinter always thought it was odd that Daniel's eye color changed, but his hair didn't.

He ignores the thought for now and walks up to the lone cabin within the outpost. Cap'n was sitting on his chair, snoozing away as usual. Whinter snaps his fingers once and the Cap'n's eyes snap open. "Wazzut?! Whooo's there?!"

Whinter laughs and Daniel chuckles at the slurred speech coming from the old inkling. Cap'n blinks a few times at them, then his eyes widen. "Oh! Orange and 4, what are you two doing here?"

Whinter manages to calm his laughter down, then says "W-Well, Da-, I mean Four here wanted to have an adventure. We've been looking and decided to come here."

Cap'n raises an eyebrow at that, looking at Daniel. "And just what do you need an adventure for lad?"

Daniel crosses his arms and says "I need to prove my worth as an agent. I'm the only one who hasn't gone on an adventure yet." Cap'n sighs and shakes his head.

"Kids these days, think they need to constantly do something. Alright then, go and explore some. Not like it'd be much dangerous since the treaty is in play." Whinter nods, then begins to leave. He waves at Daniel to follow.

Whinter looks at the kettle available to them in Tentakeel Outpost. His mouth is a thin line as he analyzes each of them. "Nope, this won't do. We need something bigger than this little area."

Daniel opens the map on his communicator, viewing the different areas available. He then points to one in the bottom-right corner. "How about this Cephalon HQ place?"

Whinter looks at the hub and says "Wasn't that the military name for Ceph City?" Daniel shrugs. He didn't care to watch the news.

Whinter shrugs the thought off as well and says "Welp, it's a good place to start. Let's go." Whinter turns into a yellow squid, then super jumps away. Daniel also turns into a squid and jumps, only slightly behind Whinter.

The two land on top of the floating platform, purple ink below them in all directions. Whinter grimaces as he sees this. "Wow, that is dangerous." Daniel nods.

"Hey! What do you two think you are doing?!" The two turn around and find an older octoling moving up to them. He had a short hairstyle, his four tentacles tied back in a ponytail. He had on construction clothes, splotches of black and purple on them.

"This is a construction zone! You aren't allowed here!" The octoling was obviously upset to have his work interrupted.

Daniel steps up and says "I'm sorry sir, but we were just looking for the entrance to Ceph City. We only knew it was somewhere here."

The octoling grunts and says "Is that all? Well then, the kettle is over there." He points a thumb over his shoulder. Whinter and Daniel look over and find a massive kettle in the center of the platform.

The octoling then says "If that's all you need, then please leave. No one but the King and General Kai are allowed here until the construction is finished." Daniel nods his thanks and hurries to the kettle, practically dragging Whinter along.

The two jump into the kettle, it making a blast of steam as it shoots them though the underground tunnel system. Eventually, the two re-emerge from the ink. Whinter's eyes widen when he sees a purple color in his ink, a very familiar purple color.

"Octarian ink! How am I using Octarian ink?!" Daniel sighs and says "Look at the sign."

Whinter looks over to Daniel, then notices the sign. "The pipe to Ceph City will now change the color of inklings to match that of octolings so as to prevent any accidental harm to both species. Huh."

Daniel steps off of the kettle, his now purple eyes searching the area. Octolings were moving around on the streets, each of them doing their own business. A few inklings could be seen, some of them mingling with the octolings. It seemed the treaty was going well.

Whinter steps up next to Daniel and says "Well, I think I know the best place to start."

Daniel raises an eyebrow and says "Where?" Whinter points down the street to the looming palace in the distance.

"I am pretty sure that is Octavio's palace. I bet he'll have something to do." Daniel nods at the suggestion. It was a good place to start.

The two begin walking down the street to the palace. They look around at the underground city in wonder, finding it to be an amazing sight. The 'sky' was high up in the underground chamber, smoothed out and reinforced by iron. The city itself was made of primarily metal and stone, but also held a certain beauty in its single color design. Even with the materials available being only metal and stone, the octolings still managed to make the city colorful with various gemstones and paints.

The octolings around them didn't seem entirely interested in them. Or at least, not Whinter. Quite a few pointed at Daniel and began talking in hushed voices, obvious curiosity in their postures. Seems like Daniel will have to get through this stage in public again when visiting here.

The two, ignoring the murmurs and constant talking, eventually stop in the plaza. A simple circular design, octolings of all sorts were around. Some were selling goods, others were simply chatting. Even some inkling shops could be seen in the plaza.

The duo begins to walk through the plaza, gazing at the various sights in front of them. There were voices everywhere, mostly stand owners trying to sell their wares. Eventually, the two exit the plaza and end up in front of the palace.

They stride up the path, hoping to get inside. A pair of octolings, both clad in armor and both holding an octo shot, step in front of them. One of the octoling guards looks at the two in a grim-faced expression. "Names?"

Daniel steps up and says "Agents 4 and Orange. We've come to talk with King Octavio."

The guards eyes widen when she hears they are agents. She then notices the hero suits on both of them, the pipe to Octo Canyon instantly putting it on them. She nods and says "Alright then, you may pass." The two guards grab the gate doors and pull it open, allowing the inklings entry.

Daniel nods his thanks and walks through the gate, Whinter right by his side. The two continue up the path, still constantly searching the place. They soon reach the massive doors of the palace. They grab one and, with some slight effort, open it.

The inside was just as amazing as the outside. The hall in front of them was lined with various pieces of artworks and pictures. Multiple other hallways branched off of this central one, continuing into the palace. The walls themselves were a plain steel silver, gold and ruby highlights around the walls. A long carpet was placed on the floor of the main hallway. Along with the architecture, various octolings could be seen moving about the palace. A few seemed like servants, but most of them were about Daniel's height and seemed like political figures.

Daniel and Whinter continue down the path, gazing in awe at the different artworks and the sheer size of the hallway. They don't even realize it when they stumble upon another set of massive doors. They glance at each other, then push open the doors. Beyond the doors was another carpet, leading to a throne. A single octoling, klad in a royal kimono and twirling a wasabi stick absentmindedly, was on the throne. Octavio's eyes leaves the wasabi stick and lands on the two inklings. "_Seems I have visitors. Let's see what these agents want." _

Octavio stands, then strides down to the inklings. Daniel bows, then noticing Whinter wasn't, pulls him down into a bow as well. Octavio bows as well, and says "Well, this is a pleasant surprise. What do I owe the honor of two agents being within my palace?"

Daniel scratches his head, then says "Well… how do I put this. I was wondering if… there was something that needed to be done down here?"

Octavio raises an eyebrow at that. Seeing that the king was confused, Daniel says "W-Well, um, you see… ah forget it. I want to go on an adventure and this place seemed like a good start." Octavio's eyes widen slightly, then he laughs.

"Oh, is that all! You certainly had me fooled." He begins to reign in his laughter, then says "Well boy, I do know something that will peak your interests."

Daniel raises an eyebrow of his own in curiosity. "Oh? What is it?" Octavio smiles and gestures for them to follow. Taking out a remote, he presses a button. A panel in the floor opens and a circular table begins to rise.

The octo king takes a seat, then tells the boys to join him. They both sit down, wondering what Octavio was doing. Octavo reaches behind himself, then grabs a set of shutter shades. He puts them on, then presses a button on the shades. "General Kai, please report to the throne room immediately."

Once Octavio takes off his shades, he then says "It'll take not even a minute for her to arrive. You'll be... quite interested in this octoling, I believe." Whinter and Daniel glance at each other, wondering what he meant.

Shortly after the call, the door to the throne room opens. "You called me Lord Octavio?" Kai steps inside and closes the door behind her. She turns around, then gasps as she sees someone on the table.

Daniel is in a similar state of shock as Kai. The girl, the octoling, had strands for hair like he did. He could tell that the black around her eyes wasn't as prominent as other octolings. She was also taller than other octolings and sported a… more shapely figure than other octolings had. There was no doubt. Kai was a hybrid, just like Daniel.

The silence in the room was palpable. The two hybrids continue to stare for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, Octavio gets back up and says "I can see you two are shocked. You more than likely presumed there was no others like you, correct?"

Kai, only due to her training, was able to nod. Daniel continued to stare in disbelief, his mind running wild. Octavio moves over to Kai and taps her shoulder. Kai jumps slightly at the touch, then blushes when she realizes she froze up. She turns to Octavio and bows deeply, saying "I am sorry for freezing my lord. That was foolish of me."

Octavio reaches down and brings the hybrid's head up so it is level with his face. "No need to be sorry Kai. I knew this would be quite a revelation when I saw him for the first time. I was shocked as well."

Kai's eyes widen, then she smiles slightly. She wasn't smiling at the fact she wasn't the only one shocked. She knew anyone would be shocked at this news. No, she was smiling at the fact that Octavio said 'Kai' instead of 'General Kai'. This meant that Kai didn't have to be a soldier and could be herself.

The two octolings then look over as a loud _slap_ is heard. They get slightly exasperated when they see Daniel with a calm expression of anger on his face, Whinter now sporting a large red handprint on his cheek.

Octavio chuckles slightly and Kai shakes her head. The two then walk over to the inklings. Kai puts out a hand and says "Hello. My name is Kai. What's your's?"

Daniel grabs the hand and shakes it with a smile. "Name's Daniel. Nice to meet you Kai." Kai nods and says "You as well. And you are?"

Whinter grins when he sees that Kai was speaking with him. His grin turns cocky as he says "Whinter's the name. And I must say, you sure look beautiful today Ms. Kai."

Kai giggles slightly and says "Why thank you. But if you try flirting with me again, you can be my punching bag." Whinter's smile falters at that, a more nervous expression on his face. The fact Kai was still smiling made it worse. He proceeds to nod rapidly.

Daniel shakes his head and says "You weren't this pervy before. I don't get it. Anyways, I can't believe that this is actually happening."

Kai nods and says "I am having a hard time as well. I didn't believe any other hybrids existed." She then begins to look up and down his body, seeming to examine him.

The inkling hybrid had a well built body. He was lean and athletic, the results of him doing turf wars for a living. He was taller than her, but only by a couple inches. His hair was a brown color, a large mass and messy. A few bangs fell over his forehead, a larger and longer one going across the right side of his face, almost covering his eye. His eyes themselves were a dark purple. Kai knew that meant his ink color was purple as well.

She then plants her hands on her hips and says "I can see that your ink is purple. What's your natural color?" Daniel blinks, then says "Oh! Well, my natural color is a light blue color. It looks like water for some reason."

Kai nods and says "I see. Mine is the normal Octarian purple, nothing special."

Daniel nods, then says "So, um… where did you come from?"

Kai looks at him in confusion, wondering what he meant. "Hm?"

Daniel, realizing she wanted more information, says "I mean, where did you originate from? Like your birth place." Kai's eyes widen in understanding.

"Oh. Well, I don't know for sure. I was found by Octavio and raised here in the underground. We don't know of any other humans, so the octolings could never figure out where my parents were."

Daniel's mouth forms a frown as he hears this. He never notices Octavio leading Whinter away from them to give them privacy. "I see. Well, I never knew my father. My mother was a human, leading a colony of humans in the Calamari Mountains. All I know of my father was that he was a Calamarian inkling." His tone took a more longing tone as he speaks.

Kai nods, saying "I understand. I wish I could figure out who my parents were. Sadly, we don't have any leads for us to go off of."

Daniel's eyebrows furrow as he thinks of this. "Hmm… maybe we could ask the colony." He snaps his fingers, a sudden smile on his face. "Yeah! We could ask my mom back at Calamari County! If anyone would know of any other humans, she would. She keeps a keen eye on all things related to human behavior."

Kai eyes widen at that. "Do you really believe she would know Daniel?" Daniel nods, a sure smile on his face. "I'm certain she will. All we need to do is get to her. That's a different story."

"A trip to Calamari County? That sounds like the adventure you needed Daniel." The two hybrids look over and find Whinter and Octavio walking back to them, the inkling having a grin on his face.

Octavio nods and says "I think that it would be nice for Kai to search for her parents. She needs that love only a birth parent can give." Kai looks at Octavio in shock, not believing the words. Octavio smiles and nods reassuringly. The general, usually stoic, suddenly grins widely.

"Thank you Octavio!" The king laughs and says "Of course, my child. I suggest you go soon. It is about midday and it will take a couple hours to reach Calamari County." Kai's eyes widen, but she then nods. She turns to the group and says "Alright, we have a mission now. Let's go!"

The octoling hybrid begins to march out, but there was a spring in her step. She was obviously excited. Octavio chuckles as they leave. "_Oh this will certainly be a story to be told. Good luck you three._

**-Author Notes-**

**Well, now isn't this interesting. The two hybrids, believing they were the only one that existed, just met each other. This was bound to happen at some point, but how will it play out?**


	41. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

Within the Inkopolis Square, a lone grate begins to shake. It then deposits three different people, all of them very unique.

The first was Whinter, a blue inkling with a pervy and confident attitude. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and black shorts. He was currently looking around the square.

Next was Daniel. Clad in the same outfit as before, sweatpants and a t-shirt, he was looking for the road needed to get to the train. His eyes were a piercing blue color, the same color as his ink.

Finally was a newcomer to Inkopolis. Wearing the typical Octoling armor, she stood out among the crowd. Her dark purple hair draped down to her mid back, white circles within them. Her dark purple eyes scanned the area in wonder, her face never faltering from slightly serious, even with her curiosity. Kai, despite this, was still in amazement at the beauty of the surface.

"It's amazing here. No wonder Octavius wanted this." Whinter nods, a grin on his face.

"It is pretty awesome. Inkopolis is massive, I doubt I've even explored all of it. You'll have a lot of shocking moments here, that's for sure."

Daniel looks over to Whinter and says "Alright, this is where we part ways." Whinter nods, his grin turning to a more solemn look.

"I still wish I could go with you guys." Daniel places a hand on his friend's shoulder.

The hybrid smiles and says "I know Whinter, but this is something we have to do alone. What I have to do alone. Remember my reason for this in the first place."

Whinter looks down in conflict. On one hand he wanted to believe his friend. On the other, he just couldn't let him go without his help. He chuckles at that, a grim smile on his face. "_He'll have Kai. No need to worry, right?"_

The blue inkling eventually nods and says "Alright, I'll stay." Daniel smiles and says "Thank you."

Whinter suddenly grins widely and says "Now hurry off before I change my mind!" Daniel laughs and quickly begins walking away, grabbing Kai's hand so she can stay with him. He waves to his inkling friend while departing, Whinter waving back. Soon, the blue inkling is lost from sight.

Daniel sighs in relief, then sudden eagerness. His first adventure, oh this was exciting! Kai looks over and raises an eyebrow at how giddy the inkling hybrid next to her was acting. "What is up with you?"

Daniel just laughs lightly and says "I finally get to go on my own adventure! This is going to be so exciting!"

Kai's confusion just continues to rise, and eventually she just shakes her head and looks away. She then goes back to looking around at the city in front of her. So many inkling were walking about, some octolings present as well.

She smiles as she sees a very heartwarming sight. A yellow, male inkling was sitting at a fancy restaurant with a female octoling. The two were dressed quite formally, but they seemed to be enjoying each other's company. The octoling just giggled at something the inkling said.

Daniel looks over, then smiles as well. "It's amazing how quickly the two races adapted to each other. It's almost like the grudge never existed."

Kai nods, but she knew why. "I can understand it. Most of the younger generation, even adults, don't have any memories of the war. Even the octoling soldiers were easy to forgive and forget once they learned that peace could be obtained."

Daniel's eyes widen at that. "Wow. That's pretty quick forgiveness." Kai nods.

"Octolings are either very forgiving or hold a grudge like nobody's business. Thankfully, most are the forgiving type."

She then looks forwards and her own eyes widen. "Hey, isn't that the train station over there?"

Daniel looks in front of them and his expression turns to one of slight surprise. "Wow, got here faster than I thought. Must've gotten distracted."

Kai giggles, then says "Well, kinda easy to do that when you are talking to someone." Daniel grins and scratches the back of his head in embarrassment.

The two fall silent after that, mainly so Kai could continue to look around the city. After only a couple minutes, the duo ends up in front of the train station.

The station was a simple design. The entrance hall was made of wood and some metal, a very simple yet elegant design. Beyond that was a typical train station, multiple trains being loaded up or just rolling in.

Daniel walks up to the doors and pushes them open. His ears twitch minutely at the sudden onslaught of noise, but he shrugs it off. Kai on the other hand flinches at the noise. Her eyes were more sensitive than an inkling or human's, so she wasn't too keen on being in here with all the talking.

Despite her being uncomfortable, Kai is still able to stick with Daniel. The inkling hybrid pays for two tickets, and the two go over to the station. Their train was due to leave in ten minutes, so they needed to find a seat quickly.

As the two walk, a few inklings pointed out the two hybrids. They began speaking in hushed tones, some of the male inklings sending sly grins to Daniel.

Daniel raises an eyebrow at the weird glances. "Um, Kai? Why is everyone looking at me like that?" He waits for a response, but doesn't receive one. "Kai?" He turns, then stops.

Kai was in front of a an octoling, presumably a father if the little semi-humanoid octopus in front of him was an indicator. The little octopus seemed shy, but he was smiling at the taller octoling hybrid. Kai herself was talking to the adult octoling.

"Seems like you managed that life you always wanted Lynden." The octoling, two tentacles framing his face, two more on the back, smiles. He looks at the little octopus beneath him. He was hopping up and down, his webbed hands trying to grab his father.

Lynden smiles and pulls up the octopus. The child laughs in delight as he is put on his father's shoulders. "It certainly was a pleasant surprise. This treaty gave us the stability me and my wife needed for our little octo."

Kai smiles and nods. Her smile fades and she turns around. Daniel was standing there, cross-armed. He was frowning and tapping his foot impatiently. Kai blushes as she realizes she was delaying them. She turns back to the octoling father and says "I'm sorry, but our train is leaving soon. We need to go."

Lynden smiles and says "No worries. We need to head to our train as well. Have a good day General Kai." Kai smiles and waves as the octoling walks away, the little octopus on his shoulders laughing in delight.

Kai turns around and walks to Daniel. The inkling hybrid frowns and says "Took you long enough." Kai just blushes and continues walking.

The two fall into silence, each of them looking for their train. They eventually notice a train with their number, a conductor telling everyone to get on board. The two begin running, then stop at the entrance car.

The conductor, an orange inkling with his hair hidden under his hat somewhat, looks at the duo. "Tickets?"

Daniel pulls his ticket out of his pocket, Kai doing likewise. The conductor grabs the ticket, then punches it in a spot. Handing the tickets back to the two of them, he says "Alright, you may board. Your return trip will be ready when you re-enter the Calamari County station." The two nod their thanks, then walk onto the train.

After finding a vacant cubicle, the two sit down. After only a couple minutes, the train begins to move forwards. Kai looks out the window, the station slowly disappearing from sight.

The station eventually vanishes from view entirely. The inkling city flashes by her eyes, the buildings beginning to blur between each other. The electrical train, powered by a single zapfish, stops speeding up. The speed was immense though, everything close by blurring into a single mass of color.

Daniel looks over with a smile as Kai's face, normally so serious, begins to show clear awe. He looks out the window himself, taking in the impressive sight. And then, without warning, the buildings disappear. The massive city was replaced with sprawling hills and fields, the coast line off to the distance.

"Wow, this is amazing." Daniel nods, almost as in awe as Kai. "It really is, isn't it?"

Kai looks over to the other hybrid, whose eyes were trailing along the distant horizon. She looks back at the coast, then says "Wouldn't it be nice to go swimming in the ocean?"

Daniel smiles. "It would be. Funny how something so dangerous for everyone only causes me to want to do it more."

Kai laughs lightly and says "I understand that feeling. Even with my training, Octavio couldn't ever reel me in fully."

Daniel turns to the octoling hybrid, his interests roused. "Speaking of Octavio, how did he end up being your caretaker?"

Kai looks slightly startled by the sudden question, but then looks down in thought. "Well, Octavio found me. He told me the story, but I'll keep it short."

"Essentially, Octavio had decided to go walk around the surface for some fresh air. He was old and needed it and the kettle room in the palace made things easy for getting anywhere. As he walking around, he said he heard something in the wind, something that didn't fit with the normal afternoon sounds. He searches, then finds the source of the sound. It was me."

Kai looks out at the horizon again and says "He said I was a beautiful baby. I looked more like a human baby than an octoling baby, but he could tell I was one of his own race. He said that something in my eyes told him, a look only true octolings have. I don't really believe it, but Octavio is a strange man."

She looks over to Daniel and says "He took me home and raised me. I grew up alongside Octari, the two of us becoming best friends. We even had a bright future for the two of us. Octari was the heir to the throne and a commander, and I became the number one general in the ranks."

Kai suddenly smiles and says "How is Octari anyways? I heard she had some crazy adventure in a metro station from Octavio."

Daniel laughs and says "You don't know even half of it. That story Cap'n told us was amazing. Want me to retell it?" Kai smiles warmly and nods.

The inkling hybrid, eager to get to tell the story now, says "Alright. It all began when Agent 3 and Cap'n were exploring Octo Canyon." Daniel words fill the compartment, his own flare and attempts at mimicking voices making the story very comedic. Kai was giggling quite a bit.

After a couple hours, Daniel says "And then Agent 3 took to the sky, an ink ball in hand. She was so high up that Octari couldn't reach her! But, Octari wouldn't let that stop her. She activates her own special and-" He suddenly stops as he looks out the window. His storytelling extravagance fades away as he looks at the sight beyond the train's walls.

Kai raises an eyebrow, then looks out the window. A large mountain range, towering over a sparkling city, loomed in the distance. She looks over to Daniel, then back to the mountain range. "Those mountains mean something to you Daniel?"

Daniel nods, his look one of longing. "Yeah, they do. That's my home, my birth place." Kai's eyes widen as she hears that. Seems they both grew up in at least somewhat secluded areas.

The hybrid inkling sighs, looking down to the wall beneath the window. "Kai." The octoling hybrid looks over, her attention fixed on Daniel.

Daniel looks over to Kai and says "Thanks for coming with me. This… this means a lot to me." Kai's eyes widen once more, but then she smiles.

"No problem Daniel. I've been having fun since I came with you too." Daniel smiles, his eyes still slightly longing, and says "Glad to hear that."

He looks back out the window, his gaze transfixed on the sparkling ocean in the distance. "My life is going so fast this past year. I just wonder, how long will that excitement last."

Kai looks over to Daniel, thoughts flowing through her head at an extreme pace. He seemed lonely, too lonely. But, that didn't make any sense. He obviously had friends at Inkopolis, so why was he lonely?

The sudden lonely look on Daniel's face drains as the train passes under a bridge. He snaps out of his daze, then turns back to Kai. He smiles and says "We'll be arriving soon. Let's get ready." Kai nods, then grabs her bag.

After the two of them get ready to leave, the train begins to slow. A small city, much smaller than Inkopolis, begins to appear in the window. It was filled with inklings of all sorts, almost all of them wearing kimonos.

The station comes close after, and the train begins to roll to a stop. It stops completely and the conductor calls all the people on board to exit the train. Daniel turns to Kai, his face eager and determined. "Ready?" Kai nods, equally determined. "Ready." The two then exit the car, both ready to begin their first ever adventure.

**-Author Notes-**

**This chapter is shorter, but it had some bonding between the two hybrids. Now though, the action commences and the two will begin the search for their missing parents. **


	42. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

"Ah, Calamari County is just as beautiful as I remember."

Kai looks over to her companion in curiosity. "Oh? You've been down here?"

"Well, not exactly." Daniel looks up to the mountains close to the little city and says "I've seen it from the valley though. I've never met any inklings, other than the ones that venture up there to give us rarer supplies."

Kai looks over to the mountains, then says "I'm presuming those mountains are where we are going?" Daniel nods.

He turns to the octoling hybrid and extends his hand. He smiles and says "We can reach the valley easier with a super jump, since I know the location. I'll lead you there."

Kai stares at the hand slightly, her black ringed eyes blinking as she thinks. Her mouth forms a thin line and she hesitantly reaches for Daniel's hand. She grabs it, and Daniel suddenly grins. He turns into a light blue squid, one of his tentacles latched to Kai's hand. Kai then turns into an octopus, one of her tentacles wrapped around the one Daniel had extended. Daniel turns to the mountains, compresses himself, then launches, Kai trailing in the air behind him.

Maria was going about her day normally, checking over how the little human village was going. Their supplies were good, and electronics were becoming common. Soon, radio and cellular communication would be possible.

Her icy blue eyes widen in surprise as a splash of blue and purple ink appears in front of her. She puts up a hand to block the ink, instantly recognizing the numbing effect the ink had as inkling ink. She tilts her head as she wonders who came to visit.

The blue ink puddle shakes, then begins to take shape. Soon a tall, human figure is seen, his brown hair waving slightly in the breeze. Maria's eyes widen, then she smiles warmly. "Oh Daniel. It seems you came back to visit."

Daniel frowns and says "No, we aren't here to visit. This is actually very important."

"Oh, and why is that?" Daniel turns around as the purple ink begins to shake. The puddle extends, then takes the shape of an octoling. Or, at least, what Maria believed was an octoling.

Maria is once again taken by surprise. "Oh! Who is this?"

Daniel smiles and says "This is Kai, an octoling hybrid. She's half human, like me." He then turns to Kai and says "This is my mom Maria, Kai."

Kai turns to the taller human and bows. "What an honor it is to meet you Maria."

Maria giggles slightly and says "Oh what manners! Seems you found yourself a good catch Danny."

Daniel suddenly begins spluttering as Kai looks up in confusion. "I-It isn't like t-that mom! This is actually serious!" Maria just smiles smugly at her son.

Her smile begins to fade though as she becomes more serious. "Alright then, enough jokes. What is so important that you came all the way from Inkopolis to see us?"

Daniel turns to Kai, then to his mom. "Well, you see, Kai never knew her parents. She was found by the octoling ruler, King Octavio, when she was a baby. We came by to ask you if you knew anything about her parents."

Maria frowns as she processes this information. Her gaze moves over to Kai, and she begins examining her. "Hmm. I do recall a single human leaving us a long time ago, maybe 25-30 years ago. It has been some time and I was just a child then. If anyone would know, it would be Pa."

Daniel's eyes widen as he hears this. "Right, Pa! He would know, wouldn't he?" Maria nods.

"Alright you two, please follow me." Maria begins walking away into the village. Daniel begins trailing behind her, Kai following close behind.

Kai then says "Who's Pa?"

Daniel turns around to look at her and says "Pa is my grandpa. He is the village elder and knows EVERYONE, even the inklings. Guy is a wiz with his brain." Kai makes an _aaahhh_ noise and falls silent again.

As the trio walks down the village path, some humans turn and wave to their leader or her son. Some even sent friendly greetings to Kai., the octoling hybrid waving back hesitantly.

Eventually, the trio ends up in front of a small hut. Maria opens the door, the two hybrids following close behind. Kai looks around at the hut's insides.

It had two room, the one they were in, and one to the right side behind a door. It was filled with pictures and other random items. There was a single couch and chair, along with a small kitchen in the corner.

"Pa! I need some help!" Kai turns to Maria as she suddenly shouts. Then, just as suddenly, another voice answers.

"Eh?! Help you say?! Well, I'll be right there!" Some sudden crashing is heard, and then the door to the right begins jiggling. The door opens and an old mad walks out. He had on a t-shirt and pants, his graying hair long down his shoulders. Despite his youthful look, some signs of old age beyond the hair was present.

Maria smiles and embraces her father. "Hello Pa." Pa smiles and hugs his daughter as well. "Hello Maria."

The two seperate, and Maria turns to the hybrids. She gestures to Kai and says "I need help with finding someone. This octoling claims that she is half-human, and she never knew them. Didn't one human leave us about 30 years ago?"

Pa looks up, a hand tapping his bearded chin. "Hmmmm. I do recall someone leaving us. She was a smart one, she was. Helped get some of our electrical equipment running, she did."

He suddenly levels an analyzing glare on Kai. "This young one does look familiar. I reckon she may be Elizabeth's daughter."

Daniel tilts his head and says "Elizabeth? Who's that."

Pa turns behind himself and goes to the table. He grabs the big book sitting on it and flips to a page. "Elizabeth Hansen. She was a genius in all areas, except maybe physical exercise. Let me see here… aha! She left us 28 years ago, claiming she had a special someone she needed to see. No one saw her again after that night."

He slams the book shut, startling everyone. "Seems that special someone was an octoling. I'd wager she did something with an octoling, somewhere close by too. The young lady couldn't stand being too far away from home."

Daniel then says "So we know that there was a human who left, she did something with an octoling close by. Well, it does narrow our search radius, but where the heck would octolings be in an inkling county?"

Maria smiles sadly and says "I'm afraid no one here would know that. We do tend to keep to ourselves."

Pa smiles reassuringly and says "I'd suggest asking the townsfolk! One of them is bound to know about any octoling behavior in the county."

Daniel nods, then smiles at the two of them. "Right. Thanks Pa, mom." Pa nods and smiles while Maria says "You are most welcome. I am assuming you will leave now?" Daniel nods.

Maria smiles sadly again and says "Do visit again, and I wish you good luck on your journey, especially you Kai." Kai blushes slightly at the sudden kindness, but then nods her thanks.

Daniel then turns around and waves goodbye. His family waves back, and then the two hybrids leave the small hut.

Out on the street, the same process from before occurs. Daniel turns into a squid, Kai holding onto his tentacle. The two then super jump away, some of the human children looking on in awe as the two soar into the sky.

The two hybrids land on the street with a splash, startling some of the inklings walking nearby. Most of the public ignore them though and simply continue moving along.

The two look around, wondering where they would find information about octoling behavior. Daniel frowns, then says "We could always try a tavern. They tend to have people with info." Kai doesn't respond since she has no clue how inkling society works.

The duo begins to walk down the streets, Daniel looking for a tavern and Kai taking in the sights. As she passes an inkling, she notices their eyes. The inkling had green eyes, just like his tentacles, but he also had plus-sign shaped pupils. She looks around and notices that almost all the inklings had these odd pupil designs.

"Hey, I think I found the tavern." Kai turns back to Daniel and notices him pointing to a building across the street. Loud music and talking could be heard from it, and a work in inkling was above it. Daniel smiles and says "Come on."

The two cross the street, and then Kai gets curious. "What did that sign say?" Daniel turns to her in confusion. "Hm? Can't you read it?"

Kai blushes slightly as she shakes her head. Daniel's confusion only seems to grow at that. "But you speak Calamarese so fluently."

Kai blushes even more and says "W-Well, i was taught how to speak it, but not read or right it. I can only read and write in Octarian, which is why only Octari and Octavio are my contacts on my phone."

Daniel frowns as they reach the tavern doors. "We need to teach you that. And by the way, it said 'The Golden Dish'. Typical tavern name." Kai nods in agreement.

Daniel opens the door and they are instantly bombarded by loud noises. Only a couple inklings look over to their new arrivals, but most continue to chat along. A lone inkling stood behind the bar, wiping a cup with a rag.

The two walk over to the counter and the inkling looks up. He smiles and says 'What can I do for you folks?"

Daniel smiles and says "We aren't here for drinks, sorry." The inkling raises an eyebrow and says "If ya ain't here for drinks, then what are you here for?"

Kai steps up and says "We need information on octoling behavior in the county." The inklings eyes widen, both at the request and the fact the girl in front of him looked like an octoling.

"I-I see. W-Well, I guess I can tell you that, but I need a little something in return." Daniel groans and fishes out some coins for the barkeeper. He hands over five golden coins and the barkeeper pockets them eagerly. Five coins from Inkopolis were worth five thousand coins in Calamari County.

The inkling looks around some, then leans closer. "I do know of some octoling behavior here in the county. A few years ago, there was a facility that was on the hill opposite of town from the mountains. Inkling scientists would go up there, researching something. People say it was dangerous, some even claiming it could be an unstoppable virus. I never believed such junk."

He shakes his head and says "Anyways, there were also rumors of strange people being seen at the facility. Inklings with suction cups on the top of their heads. The rumors escalated and soon people began spouting nonsense of mutations. The most sound rumor though was that the strange inklings were actually octolings."

The bartender leans back and says "That's all I can tell ya. If you want to search at the facility, then be my guest. But be warned, there seems to be a few disappearances there when rowdy inklings want to investigate."

Daniel nods his thanks and says "We'll be careful. Thanks for the info." The bartender smiles and says "You are most certainly welcome."

The two then walk away from the counter, the bartender waving after them. Daniel waves back, then closes the entrance door behind him.

He breathes a sigh of relief, then looks at the sky. It was getting dark, close to dinner time. As if waiting for the queue, his stomach rumbles. He blushes as Kai giggles in humor.

The inkling hybrid grins sheepishly and says "W-Well, I guess we can't search with an empty stomach. L-Let's go!" He then strides off, Kai laughing lightly at his antics.

After some searching, the two eventually find a nice little restaurant. The two grab a table and sit down, a waitress coming over to them. She smiles and says "What can I get you two tonight?"

Daniel smiles and says "I'll have the salmon sandwich, along with a Coke." The waitress nods and jots down the order.

Kai looks away from her menu and says "I'll have a Calamari Salad, side of ranch, with a glass of water please." The waitress nods and jots the order down, then freezes.

She turns to Kai a little shakily and says "U-Um, pardon me, but did you say w-water?" Kai nods, wondering what the confusion was. Then her eyes widen.

"Oh! I see. Well, I am not fully an octoling. I can handle water." The waitress frowns, still a little startled, then says "If you say so… I'll go put that in for you."

The two lapse into silence as they wait for their food. Kai was looking out the window again and Daniel watches her. His eyes lower to the armor on her body and he says "Say, do you wear anything but that armor?"

Kai's ear twitches, telling him she heard him. She nods, continuing to look out the window. "I do wear other things. I've just gotten so used to it that I tend to wear the armor like normal clothes. If I took the platings off, it'd look like Octari's outfit."

Daniel blinks, then says "Oh. Ok then." The two fall back into silence, but then the waiter comes. She puts the tray down on a stand and says "One Coke and one… water."

She gives the Coke to Daniel and carefully gives the water to Kai, careful not to splash any on her arm. Kai takes the water and the waitress breathes a sigh of relief.

She then smiles and says "Here we are, on salmon sandwich." Daniel's eyes glisten in delight as the sandwich is placed in front of him.

The waitress then turns to Kai and says "And here is your salad. Enjoy!" the waitress then takes the stand and tray and walks away.

Kai grabs her fork and goes to eat, when she suddenly sees something odd. Daniel just made a strange motion with his hands, and now he hand them folded in front of him. He seemed to be saying something under his breath, then makes the strange motion again. He goes to take a bite, then notices Kai looking at him. "What?"

"What was that you just did?" Daniel raises an eyebrow, and then his eyes widen.

"Oh! That was just me praying. It's a religious thing, something we did in the valley. I'm surprised that religion survived for this long, considering it is close to 14,000 years old." Kai nods, only slightly interested now. She never cared for religions.

The two then begin eating. Daniel eats his in slight bliss, loving the taste of seasoned salmon hitting his taste buds. The dressing in the sandwich cooled his mouth from the spicy seasoning, creating a perfect balance. It was delicious.

Kai eats her salad in a lot less bliss. She simply was enjoying the fact she could have inkling food for the first time. Surprisingly, it was quite similar to octoling cooking.

After a few minutes, they two finish eating. They get up, pay for their bill, Daniel leaving a coin for the waitress, then leave the restaurant.

Daniel looks up at the darkening sky and says "I'd suggest we sleep before we go explore. Come on, I saw a hotel on the way here."

They continue down the street, back in the direction they came from when visiting the tavern. Daniel eventually spots the massive lot that signified the hotel. "There it is!"

The two walk over to the hotel, entering the lobby. They go up to the desk and Daniel says "One room please."

The desk worker looks between the two young faces, then grins. "Of course." He grabs two keys, then says "Your room is room 103. Enjoy your stay." Daniel nods his thanks and the two hybrids walk away.

They quickly find room 103 and enter. There was a seating area, along with a bathroom. A small kitchen was off to the side and a single bedroom was in the back.

Daniel's eyes widen at the sight of one room, but then Kai says "I can finally get cleaned up. I'm showering first." Daniel looks over as the octoling goes to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

While Kai was taking a shower, Daniel goes over to the bedroom. He opens the door more, then sighs in relief when he sees two beds. He wasn't sure how he felt about the possibility of sleeping with a girl.

Eventually, the shower turns off. The door opens and Kai says "Your turn." Daniel nods and walks by Kai, shutting the door behind him.

After Daniel finishes his shower, he was clad in some pajama shorts and a t-shirt. He goes to the bedroom and opens the door, but then freezes.

Kai was clad in only her undergarments. She was sitting on her bed, not noticing the door was open. She then perks up and looks over. Her face redens and she instantly scrambles under her blanket. She huffs and says "You could've warned me first."

Daniel blinks, uncertain what to say. Eventually Daniel says "Y-You seem awfully calm about me accidentally seeing your underwear."

Kai shrugs under her blankets and says "It's just like a bikini. In fact, I am pretty sure those damn swimsuits are more revealing than my undergarments." Daniel is slightly taken back, not expecting that answer.

Kai then says "Go ahead and lie down. I am gonna get some sleep." The octoling hybrid turns on her side, away from the door. Her breath begins to even out, eventually lapsing into the steady rhythm of sleep.

Daniel flicks off the light, then walks over to his own bed. He slips under the covers and turns on his side as well. His eyelids flutter, and then his eyes close. His breathing evens out as he is also taken into the blissful land of sleep.


	43. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

The sun's rays shine through the window, hitting the eyes of the sleeping hybrids. Daniel groans slightly as the sun begins to rouse him for his sleep. He stretches, then wearily opens his eyes.

"You finally woke up." Daniel looks over and finds Kai laying on her bed, fully dressed, and reading a book. Daniel turns to the stand in between the beds and looks at the clock. It read '8:34 AM'.

Daniel looks back to Kai with a deadpan face. "It's only 8:30. Why are you complaining?"

Kai smiles and says "I've been up until 6 this morning." Daniel raises an eyebrow at that.

"Why were you up so early?" Kai shrugs, silently turning a page in her book.

"Mostly a habit. I am a soldier after all." She then puts a bookmark in her book, closes it, and says "Let's hurry up and get going. We do have somewhere to explore after all."

Daniel nod and gets himself up. While Kai leaves the room to get breakfast, Daniel changes into a more protective set of gear with him. He puts on the hero suit given to him by Cap'n Cuttlefish, then grabs his Hero Dualies.

He walks out of the room and sees Kai at the table with a set of pancakes. A plate was next to her, syrup already on them. Daniel sits down, says his thanks, then begins eating. Kai looks over and swallows. She smiles and says "I didn't know you were an agent."

Daniel swallows his bite, then nods. "I've been Agent 4 for a year now. This is the first real test I've had with my abilities."

"Ah. So is that another reason for this adventure?"

Daniel nods. "It is. I wanted to show that I deserve being an agent, just like the others."

Kai nods, then continues eating. After a few minutes, the two finish and begin grabbing their respective things. "I doubt it'll take long for us to finish searching the facility and our tickets will work the second we return to the station. No need to stay and pay more cash." Kai agreed.

The two walk out of the hotel room, their respective bags with them. They wave their thanks to the desk clerk and walk out of the hotel. Daniel looks around, his eyes searching for something. "That bartender said it was opposite of the mountains, so that means it is right over… there!"

Daniel points to his left, opposite of the mountains to their right. In the distance was a tall hill, but nothing was on it. Not from this angle at least. Kai smiles and says "Then let's go."

The two walk to the hill, mostly ignoring the many inklings around. They eventually reach the edge of town, then stop outside the town limits. They walk over the fresh grass, Kai smiling widely at the sight.

Daniel raises an eyebrow at her, but he kept smiling. "Wow, you certainly are loving this." Kai nods enthusiastically.

"The surface is beautiful! I can't believe how much is up here." Daniel nods, putting his hands in his pockets.

"It is very beautiful. Glad you like it." Kai just laughs and spins around like a schoolgirl.

Daniel's smile grows as he watches her. Her long hair flowed around her as she spun, clear excitement and joy in her laughter. She was… just as beautiful as the surface she adored.

Daniel blinks at the random thought. He shakes his head, a slight blush on his face. He looks forwards and begins scanning around for the facility. Kai, seeming to notice this, stops spin and begins searching as well.

The two keep their eyes open for any breaks in the landscape. They reach the top of the hill, then stop, looking around. Kai looks to her right slightly, then her eyes widen. "Look, over there!"

Daniel looks over to where she was pointing and notices a large building in the bottom of the valley. He smiles and says "Alright, let's go."

The two go down the hill walking straight for the facility. As they go along, Kai views the facility with suspicion. It was broken down, cracks in the walls and some pieces of rubble around it. It seemed to be a few years since it was last used.

The duo stops in front of the facility, the double doors right in front of them. Daniel pulls his dualies out of his bag, holding them loosely. Kai also grabs her octo shot, ready to fire if need be.

Daniel goes to the door, but Kai stops him. "No offense, but I am more experiences than you with these kinds of operations." Daniel is a little upset, but he steps back.

Kai places a hand on the door, then opens it gingerly. The door creaks open, the sound echoing ominously throughout the building. Kai looks around, taking in the state of the building.

The room beyond the doors was a normal lobby. It had a counter on both sides, slight debris around the place. One open door was directly in front of them, but only darkness could be seen.

Kai steps inside, brushing some of the small broken pebbles of rock to the side. Daniel follows closely behind, his gaze constantly searching around for any dangers. He looks over to the darkness in the facility, raising an eyebrow at that. "How is it that dark in here? It's broad daylight."

Kai turns to him slightly, but she continues forwards slowly. "Didn't you see? The facility had no windows." Daniel blinks, then looks around. She was right, he couldn't see any windows.

The inkling hybrid gulps slightly and holds his dualies a little tighter. He follows Kai closely, the two now right before the door leading to the darkness. Kai looks into her bag, then curses slightly. "Shit. I didn't bring a flashlight."

Daniel smiles slightly and says "Don't worry, I got this." He steps into the darkness, then closes his eyes in concentration. Kai raises an eyebrow in confusion, then wonder as spots of light begin appearing on Daniel's skin. They were far between and often clumped together, but they glowed and offered some light.

Daniel breathes out, then smiles, his eyes open again. "What do you think?" Kai blinks, then says "I wasn't expecting that."

The inkling hybrid shrugs and says "Mom says that my father could do that too. I've never really needed to use it because we've always had lamp lights or just ceiling lights."

Kai shakes her head in wonder, but then continues on. Daniel sticks close so they can see. But, despite Daniel's efforts, they still couldn't see much. Kai looks around at the fallen debris, pushing some of the rubble aside with her foot.

They eventually reach a wall in the room. They stop, then Kai begins going to her left. The two continue along the wall, searching for any sort of fuse box or a door.

The two eventually find another doorway, but the room beyond it contained more items. Tables were thrown everywhere, some upright and some turned over. More debris was present, but large piles were around the place. Various pieces of lab equipment could be seen as well.

Kai frowns and holds her Octo Shot more tightly, one finger hovering near the trigger and another near the button that activates her gauntlets. The two step into the next room, each of them wary.

The darkness was beginning to become suffocating. Only Daniel's soft glow kept it at bay, but both of the hybrids were nervous or cautious of what could lie beyond the light, hiding in the darkness.

They walk around cautiously, taking in the large amount of decay and destruction in the room. Daniel grimaces as he sees a torn up lab coat on the floor. "What… happened here?"

Kai shakes her head and says "I don't know, but I am getting a very bad feeling."

The two manage to get past the broken up lab room, another door on the other end. Kai peers inside, her eyes squinting to try and see in the dark. She can't see anything and steps forwards, but then her foot gets stuck.

Kai looks down, then grimaces. Her foot was stuck in some black substance on the ground. She pulls her foot out of the puddle, then kneels down to investigate. She drags a finger along it, then flinches as it stings her finger. "Ink. This is ink."

Daniel kneels down as well, peering closely to the substance. It reflected the light somewhat, and he could see a very familiar shine to it. "Yeah, that is definitely ink."

Kai gets up, along with Daniel, and says "I wonder, why is there ink here? And why is it black?" Daniel shrugs, just a clueless.

"GrRrAaAaGh." Both of the hybrids' ears perk up as they register a foreign sound. Kai brings her Octo Shot up and Daniel grips his dualies even tighter.

"GrRrRaAa." The two turn around into the doorway as they hear the same sound. It sounded like a growl, but it was distorted as if underwater. The two continue to watch closely, both of them looking for any signs of danger.

Then, as sudden as the voice, something appears in the darkness. Two eyes peering at them, the whites in them seeming to glow. Then, a mouth appears. Just as white as the eyes, it's fanged outline forms a sickening grin.

Kai growls lowly and brings her Octo Shot up. Daniel tenses his body, his eyes hardening into his battle-ready state. He holds his dualies tightly, his fingers only centimeters from the triggers.

The thing within the darkness suddenly steps forwards and the two hybrids are able to get a good look at it. It seemed like an octoling, but many things were wrong with him. His eyes were pure white, and his mouth was jagged and white as well. His lab coat had splotches of black ink on it. His hands ended in sharp claws, and his body was completely black. The worst part was that anywhere the black touched other body parts, it looked fused together. One of his tentacles was fused to his head and his right arm was fused to his side.

Kai lowers her Octo Shot in disbelief and Daniel's eyes widen immensely. The beast tilts its head, then growls again, the same distorted sound coming from it as before. It walks forwards, and Kai notices something else. The octoling seemed to be falling apart slightly, ink constantly dripping from his body and some areas having no definition at all, nothing but ink splotches.

Daniel gulps, his legs shakily slightly in fear. "W-What… IS that thing?!"

Kai shakes her head and says "I don't know, but it doesn't look friendly." She watches as the beast continues to move forwards. Then, without warning, it lets out a blood-curdling shriek. It suddenly begins sprinting forwards, the unfused arm raised to attack.

Daniel jumps and brings up his dualies, but Kai is slightly faster. She fires her Octo Shot, hitting the monstrous octoling in the chest. It screams in pain, then pops in a cloud of black ink.

Kai lowers her Octo Shot, then lets out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. Daniel also tries to calm himself, but his fingers never strayed too far from the trigger.

Kai looks beyond the black ink, towards where the thing came from. "Something is not right here. We should investigate."

Daniel's eyes widen at that. "Investigate?! Those things are clearly dangerous and not normal! I don't want to become like that!"

Kai shakes her head, then says "We need to continue forwards if we want to figure out anything. Maybe we can figure out how that… thing came to be."

Daniel's mouth forms a thin line as he thinks about it. "Hmmm…. Agh, fine. Let's go." Kai nods.

The two turn to the darkness, neither of them really wanting to encounter another of the black ink monsters. Kai brings her Octo Shot up, Daniel holds his dualies tightly, and the two step into the darkness.

**-Author Notes-**

**Sorry about how short this chapter is, but it does set the pace for upcoming events. The hybrids now find out they aren't alone in this facility. What other dangers could lurk in the shadows? **

**Also, if you can, please leave a review! It would be greatly appreciated and at this point, if you have any ideas for future chapters, ask! I would be happy to implement some ideas if I can. Thanks for reading!**


	44. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

The darkness surrounded them on all sides. Kai looks around the room they just entered. Ink was splattered all over, on the walls, floor, even ceiling. It was everywhere and she was afraid of another ink monster popping out of it.

The two hybrids were very cautious in their movements now, careful not to make much noise. They kept their weapons ready to fire if the moment required.

Daniel flinches as a drop of black ink falls from the ceiling, echoing on a metal plate on the floor. He gulps and looks around, his fingers brushing against the triggers of his dualies tensely.

Kai looks around for anything of value. She continues to search, finding nothing but black ink, when her eyes spot something. It was still just black, but it lacked the shine the ink had. She points to it and says "I think I may have found a door."

Daniel looks over and quickly deduces the same thing Kai did. "OK then. Let's go." The two begin walking over to what was hopefully a door.

The ink around them drips from the ceiling, only increasing their nerves. Daniel looks around tentatively, his eyes wide with fear. He goes to step, sees a puddle of black ink, and decides to step around. Then, something grabs his leg.

Daniel involuntarily screams and looks down, aiming his dualies. A black, clawed hand was grabbing his ankle tightly, a white mouth grinning at him. Daniel recoils in shock, then fires his dualies. The monster lets out a shriek, then dissolves into the ink.

Kai rushes to his side and almost yells "What happened?!"

Daniel breathes heavily, his heart racing. "O-One of those… those things just popped out of the ink and grabbed me!"

Kai's eyebrows furrow in worry at that. "Here, let me see where it grabbed you."

Daniel lifts up the leg that was grabbed by the ink monster. Kai kneels down and looks at his ankle. There was some black ink on it, but nothing seemed to be wrong. She stand back up and says "Nothing is wrong, but if anything feels weird, tell me."

Daniel nods and the two continue forwards. Now they stayed clear of any ink on the floor, not wishing any of the monsters to ambush them.

Kai continues looking around, then sighs slightly in relief as she sees a doorway. Then her eyes widen as she sees some light in the room. She looks up and finds a narrow window on the roof, allowing just enough light in to illuminate the room.

The room itself was not much different from the other rooms. It had debris everywhere, along with various pieces of lab equipment. There seemed to be less ink, meaning that the monsters weren't in there. Then, her eyes fall on something on the far wall. A box with a lightning bolt on it.

Kai smiles, obvious relief in her eyes, and says "Finally! We found a fuse box!" Daniel looks over, then grins as he too sees it. "Yes! Now we can get some light in this place!"

The two walk over, pushing the debris out of the way. They go around a large pile of lab equipment and wood, then stop. A pool of black ink, about 10 feet across, was right in front of them. The fuse box was behind it.

Daniel groans and says "Can't it ever be easy in these adventures?"

Kai smiles as she steps up to the ink. "It wouldn't be an adventure otherwise." Daniel stops complaining, then thinks about what she said. He shrugs and says "I guess so."

Kai aims her Octo Shot at the ink pool, then fires. She makes a stream of purple ink to the other side, then swims across. Daniel watches her as she swims, then as she pops out the other side.

Kai walks to the fuse box and opens it up. Wires were inside, some of them broken off. She frowns at the sight, then smiles slightly as a wire gives off a spark. "A spark. At least electricity is still running in this place."

She grabs a couple wires and works with them gently. She carefully analyzes the box and figures out where the wires go. She begins to put them together, careful not to shock herself.

Daniel watches in rapt interest from across the pool of ink as Kai works. "_Wow, she is really good with tech." _Then, a sudden movement in his peripherals catches his eye. He looks to the left, then gasps loudly. Another of the ink monsters was partially submerged in the ink, causing no sound to be heard.

Daniel's eyes narrow and he aims with his dualies. He fires a few pellets of ink, and the monster explodes in black ink. It emits the same shriek as the other two monsters.

Kai hears the sound, then says "What was that?" Clear worry was in her voice, but she doesn't turn away from her work.

Daniel keeps his dualies up, just in case, and says "Another of those ink monsters. I just splatted it." Kai nods, her eyes still focused on the wires.

"This goes here, another one there. Alright, and now the spark!" She finishes her work with the fuse box, and then a light flickers. It bathes the room in a much brighter glow than before, and they could see into different rooms now.

Daniel smiles as he sees the light, then grimaces as he looks through the next doorway. Ink was everywhere in the room, almost no places not covered. He could've sworn he saw something move too.

Kai swims across the ink pool in her ink trail, then looks at the room Daniel was looking at. "Oh, that is bad." Daniel nods, feeling just the same way. Then, he jumps as he feels a vibration on his leg. He realizes it is his phone and takes it out. Before he turns it on though, he just stares. He looks over to Kai and with a deadpan look says "We could've used our phones for light this whole time." Kai blinks, then slaps her forehead.

Daniel shakes his head in disappointment in himself, then turns his phone on. A single text message was on it.

**Octari-Eight**

"**Hey! Daniel, right? I just got your number from Amber. She said you're really nice, so I'd like to meet you some time! If you want, just go to F1sh's room in the hospital. She still has to stay for a little while, but she's like to see you too! Thx, and bye!"**

Kai leans over his shoulder, then chuckles at the message. "Seems like Octari is eager to meet you."

Daniel nods and pockets his phone. "Gives me another reason to get out of here as soon as possible."

Kai shakes her head and says "Come on, you don't want to give up now that we got this far, right?" Daniel looks at her, then smiles.

"Of course not. It just means we need to hurry." Kai nods, then says "Then let's go."

The two walk forwards, then stop in front of the door to the next room. The light was partially covered in black ink, so some dark shadows were in the room. Kai looks to the right, then notices another light. This one though looked different. It was flickering and changing colors, just like a TV.

Kai points it out and says "Let's go over there." Daniel looks to where she is pointing, then nods in agreement.

"**GrAaGh" **the two hybrids tense as another growl resonates through the area. They look around, searching for the monster that growled. A sudden gurgling is heard and they look forwards.

A single ink monster rises from the ink. This one had both arms freed, but half his face was black ink and struggling to stay on his head. The grin, already creepy, was amplified by the falling apart face.

Daniel frowns and aims at the creature. "**GrRrAaAaGh." ** Daniel freeze as another growl is heard. He looks to his left and sees another monster rise from the ink. And then, another pops up behind it.

Kai's eyes narrow as she sees multiple monsters pop up from the ink. She quickly counts the monsters, adding up to at least 20 of them. She shifts slightly, her Octo Shot at the ready, and aims at the monsters.

Growls begin to fill the room as the monsters seem to grin even wider. Then, one of them roars and charges. The others roar as well and rush behind the lead monster.

Kai wastes no time and begins firing her Octo Shot. The lead monster is knocked back by the pellets of ink, then bursts into black ink with a shriek. The other monsters continue forwards undeterred.

Daniel raises his dualies and pulls the trigger on both guns. They begin firing rapidly, taking out a couple of the monsters. They both die with a ghastly shriek.

A shot of purple ink hits a fourth monster and it explodes. Kai turns and aims at another monster, quickly killing it before it could get close. "**GrRrAaAaAaHaHaHa!"**

One of the monsters seems to laugh as it manages to get close to Kai. It growls loudly and jumps forwards. Kai quickly turns around, and then her eyes widen. She brings up her arm in self defense as the monster opens its mouth.

"AAAAHHHH!" The shriek fills the air, Daniel's ear twitching as he registers it. It was different from the other shrieks. It felt more, alive and more… familiar. Daniel's eyes widen and he bats away one of the monsters that got close. He turns around and finds Kai struggling immensely against one of the ink monsters. It had its mouth clamped onto Kai's arm and was hanging on tightly. Kai was in obvious pain but was trying to pry the thing off.

Daniel's eyes narrow and he growls audibly. A couple of the monsters near suddenly stop moving, hesitant. Daniel doesn't notice and runs at the monster on top of Kai. "HRAA!" With a yell of anger, he slams his dualie into the monster's head. It squeals slightly, then falls over unconscious.

Kai breathes heavily, one eye closed tightly. She puts her hand on the floor to pick herself up, then flinches as pain shoots down her arm. She puts her weight on her other arm and picks herself up slowly.

Daniel watches in worry, but a growl reminds him what is happening. He turns and finds that at least seven more monsters were still present. Wait… no, now there was eight.

Daniel's eyes widen as he sees another monster appear out of the ink. In fact, it was the same monster he first shot. His eyes widen even more when he is able to make out a pool of bubbling black ink. "A respawn point…"

Another monster pops up out of the ink and Daniel's teeth clench in nervousness. He looks to Kai and his eyes widen again as he sees her clutching her arm tightly, blood streaming out of the wound and her Octo Shot on the floor.

Daniel reaches down and grabs the Octo Shot, then says "Come on, we need to get out of here! We can't fight with you like that." Kai goes to refute Daniel, but a shot of pain through her arm makes her shut up. She nods and turns around, the two beginning to run.

Roars are heard from behind them as the monsters begin to chase them. Daniel turns around and his eyes widen at the sight of a hoard of black ink monsters chasing them, all of them grinning widely.

His gaze then goes over to Kai. She was falling slightly behind, her injury causing her to run a little slower automatically. Daniel turns back to the monsters, then to Kai. "_How are we both gonna get out of here?!"_

His eyes then widen as he gets an idea. There was a table in one of the rooms they passed! He could use it to block the monsters pursuit! He looks forwards and he smiles as he sees the table he was thinking of. It would block the monsters from getting them as they escaped.

Kai watches as Daniel puts on a burst of speed, then stops in front of the table next to a doorway. Her eyes widen as she realizes what he planned to do. She urges herself to go a little faster, ignoring the pain in her arm. She passes the table, the hoard not close behind. Daniel grabs the table, then flips it forwards with a grunt of effort. The monsters shriek as the table falls on them. It doesn't splat them, but their mindlessness kept them from moving the table efficiently and begin chasing the duo again. Daniel, satisfied with his plan, begins to run again.

He quickly catches up with Kai, and they turn a corner. Their eyes widen as they see the light of day in front of them, the doors to the facility wide open to them.

"**GGRRAAAAAHHHH!"**

The two turn around, then pale at the sight of the hoard running at them again. A couple monsters were closer than the others and were quickly gaining on them. Daniel looks forwards, then notices that the door was only a few dozen feet away. He turns, aims his dualie, and fires at the closest monster. It explodes with a shriek of pain.

He looks forwards, then smiles in relief. The two hybrids break into the open air, outside of the facility. They continue running, not wanting to get caught. Daniel turns around again, then slows at what he sees.

The ink monsters were all at the door, staring at them. Their expressions never changed, but they weren't going outside. They all then begin to turn away, shuffling back into the abandoned facility.

Daniel breathes out a sigh of relief, then laughs. Kai, hearing the noise, also stops running. She raises an eyebrow as she sees Daniel fall on the ground, laughing lightly. "W-What's so funny?"

Daniel manages to reign in his laughter some and says "I-I can't believe it. That was… so terrifying, yet so amazing."

Kai looks at him like he was crazy, then smiles. She stands over him and says "I guess s-so. I t was p-pretty fun."

Daniel was going to nod, but he noticed something wrong. Kai's breath was coming in shuddering bursts, and her hand was gripping the wound tightly. Red could be seen, but also a little black.

Daniel instantly picks himself up, worried. "Hey, let me see that wound." Kai shakes her head.

"N-No, I'm fine." She then flinches suddenly and lets out a shuddering breath.

Daniel's eyebrows furrow and he says "No, you aren't. Let me see it."

Kai shakes her head again, but it seemed to take more effort. "N-No. I-I told you, I-I-I'm… ho, I f-feel dizzy." Kai sways on her feet suddenly, then begins to fall. Daniel's eyes widen and he catches her.

"Kai? What happened?!" His gaze then drifts over to the wound and his eyes widen. The wound was open, spilling blood. That meant it had access to her bloodstream. He could also see black ink in the wound.

Daniel, eyes wide, shakes out "I-Ink poisoning." He grits his teeth, then turns to the Calamari City. He opens his map, then breathes in slight relief at the coordinates of a hospital listed. He turns to Kai and says "Don't worry, I'll get you healed."

He turns into a squid, holding Kai tightly. He grunts with the effort, due to Kai being in her humanoid form, and compresses himself slightly more as a result. He then launches, Kai close to his body, going straight for the hospital. His eyes, determined but also fearful, told one thing that was in his mind. "_Please let me make it in time."_

**-Author Notes-**

**Oh this isn't good! The two escaped the facility, but Kai was injured. She also has ink poisoning?! Things are heating up!**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	45. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

Daniel paces around inside the Calamari City hospital. He glances at the door next to him, then back to the ground. He turns, then sits on a bench. His leg bounces in anxiety, and then he starts pacing again.

"Excuse me, are you Daniel?" Daniel looks behind him and finds the door open. He instantly rushes over and says "Yes, I am Daniel."

The doctor nods, his dark purple tentacles bouncing as he does so. "Good. Your girlfriend had quite the injury."

Daniel blinks at the girlfriend comment, then pushes it aside. "I know she did. Tell me, is she okay? Can she recover?"

The doctor nods and says "She will be fine. She just needs time to get the ink out of her system while our medicine does its work. She will need to be hospitalized for a while."

Daniel frowns, but then says "Can I see her?" The doctor nods and steps to the side, gesturing for Daniel to walk in. The hybrid inkling walks in, then rushes to Kai's bed side.

Kai tilts her head to look at who entered, then smiles. "O-Oh. Hi Daniel." Daniel cringes slightly at the raspy tone in Kai's voice, her unwavering confidence not present.

"Kai, are you ok?" Kai nods, looking over to her arm. It was bandaged tightly, and an IV drip was near the wound applying the medicine to stop the ink's harmful effects.

"I'm fine, but I'm guessing I can't leave for a little while." Daniel nods his head, confirming her suspicions.

She sighs, then looks at the ceiling. "I just wish we could've been able to see that room. We were so close, I could feel it, but then those monsters popped up."

Daniel nods in agreement. Kai doesn't seem to notice and says "If only we could've taken them all down at once! Maybe then we could've gotten whatever was in that room."

Daniel looks down at the ground as he thinks of that. They needed a way to keep all of the monsters at bay while they entered the room. They more he thinks about it, the more it sounded like they needed something to hit them all at once constantly since that respawn point was there. What weapons could do that?

He eventually narrows his options down. A Killer Wail, a Stingray, or a Bomb Rush could hit them all. He thinks about the options, then decides that one of them would work best with letting them past the monsters and keep them at bay.

Daniel looks back to Kai and says "What if we took a Killer Wail in there and set it up so it would shoot the respawn point?"

Kai's eyes widen slightly at the proposition. "That… could work. It would keep them from attacking us, plus it can be set up without one of us holding it, letting us go to the room." Kai grins and says "We have a solution!"

Daniel smiles as well as Kai beams at him. She suddenly shudders and then begins coughing violently. A machine begins beeping loudly and black ink begins flying out of her mouth. The doctor rushed over to the machines, Daniel suddenly worried.

"Is she ok?!" The doctor checks over some more machines, then looks at Kai. He inspects her, then sighs in relief. "She's fine. It was just her body removing the ink. That was the coughing you saw."

Daniel breathes out in relief. Kai smiles weakly and says "I don't think we can do it now." Daniel shakes his head in agreement.

"Right. You need to stay here and rest. I'll go get the Killer Wails." Kai nods, then says "Be back soon." Daniel smiles nods. He turns to the door and walks out, ready to find the Killer Wails.

**-Three Days Later-**

Daniel looks over his gear one more time in Kai's hospital room. He had to get the hotel room again, but now Kai was being released. The ink was out of her system and she could move around without pain now. The bandages were still on her arm though.

Kai grabs her bag, careful to favor her uninjured arm. Daniel nods as he sees everything he needs, then walks out of the room, Kai right behind him.

The two go to the front desk and Daniel pays for the hospital fee. The nurse nods her thanks, and the two leave the hospital.

The two walk back to the outskirts of town, then up the hill. They reach the top and look down at the facility. Two megaphone-shaped devices were just outside. They walk down the hill, then stop at the megaphones. Daniel grabs one, and Kai grabs the other. Daniel looks to Kai and says "Remember the plan?"

Kai nods, saying "Get to the room, put a killer wail down, then go to the next room. We use the second when leaving." Daniel nods, then looks into the facility. It was still lit up due to Kai repairing the fuse box, so they could see clearly.

Daniel shifts his grip on the Killer Wail, then smiles slightly in determination. "Let's do this." Kai nods, and the two enter the facility cautiously.

They constantly look around, searching for any of the black ink monsters. They are able to retrace their steps easily, and none of the monsters pop out at them. They had to be careful not to step in the black in though.

After a few, tense minutes of being constantly alert, they re-enter the room with the fuse box. One look to the left confirms that the next room was the area with the respawn point. They could hear the monsters shuffling around, growling lowly with their garbled voices.

The two walk slowly to the center of the room they are in. They didn't want any of the monsters to know they were there yet.

Daniel goes to put a foot down, then feels something on his shoulder. Kai is looking at him, shaking her head. Daniel looks down, then pales as he sees he nearly stepped on a piece of glass. That would have alerted the monsters for sure.

The inkling hybrid carefully puts his foot past the glass piece, then sighs. He looks forwards, then at Kai. He nods and Kai puts her Killer Wail down. She fumbles with the switches some, then presses a button.

The Killer Wail shakes, rings forming in a long line in front of it. The monsters inside the room see the rings and move over to inspect them, curious what they were. Then, with a loud blast of sound, it activates.

The monsters all scream in pain as their bodies are torn up by the high-powered sound waves. They all pop into clouds of black ink, their bodies completely disintegrated. When they tried to respawn, the Killer Wail simply splats them again.

Daniel grins at the success of the plan. "Yes!" He turns to Kai and nods his head to the door. "Come on, let's go!" Kai nods and she moves ahead of Daniel, her Octo Shot ready to fire if need be.

They enter the room with the monsters and see that a couple had escaped the Killer Wail's blast radius. Kai raises her Octo Shot and quickly takes them out, allowing them clear access.

Daniel was struggling slightly to get through the black ink, but he didn't have a free hand to fire his own ink. He grunts as he forces his foot out of the ink again, then the other.

Kai gets to the room and turns around, watching Daniel's progress. He was struggling slightly, but very close to the door. He takes another step, only a few more away from the room. Kai urges him on silently. And then, the Killer Wail stops.

Kai's eyes widen as the ring of sound disappears from sight, leaving the respawn point clear. The monsters begin rising out of the ink, each of them seemingly angry. One of them turns in their direction and shrieks. The other monsters turn and shriek as well.

Daniel hears the shriek and knows he has no time. He hoists the Killer Wail up slightly, then throws it to Kai. Her eyes widen at the sudden movement, but she is able to catch the giant megaphone. Daniel, now with free hands, begins inking a path for himself. He falls into the trail and swims, just barely avoiding a clawed hand. He gets close to the door and throws himself past Kai. Kai takes only a glance at Daniel making it, then slams the door in front of her. Multiple bangs resonate through the room as the monsters slam into it, roaring and shrieking in fury.

Kai breathes out a sigh of relief, then turns around. The blue squid in the room turns into ink, then compresses into Daniel. He shakes his head slightly, saying "That was close." Kai nods.

Daniel picks himself up, then turns around. The two hybrids finally take notice of the light in the room, and their eyes widen. Screens, dozens of them, lined the front wall. Some showed the facility currently, and some were off. One screen, larger than the rest, showed only a passcode bar.

Daniel looks at one screen and grimaces. It had ink splotches on the lens, but the camera connected to the screen showed the ink monsters trying to claw their way in. They didn't seem like they'd stop any time soon.

While Daniel inspects the screens, Kai looks at the desk beneath them. "This room, it's a security room." She brushes some of the debris on the desk to the side, and then her hand stops. On the desk was journal, her hand right next to it. She picks the journal up and says "Daniel, come look at this."

Daniel's gaze drops from the screens to Kai. His eyes widen as he sees her sifting through the journal. "A journal?" Kai nods.

"Maybe it'll tell us something about what happened here." She continues looking through the journal, and then stops. The page had one important thing on it. Passcode: Rosa

Kai looks at the larger screen, then back to the words. "The passcode…" She goes over to the screen, then looks for a keyboard. She spots it a little off to the side. She picks it up, blows the dust off, then looks at the wires. "Still connected. Good. Now let's hope it works."

She puts the keyboard down, then presses the key for R in Octarian. Luckily, the computer puts the same letter in. Kai breathes a sigh of relief, then types in the rest of the passcode. The screen loads, then unlocks to a desktop. Kai looks around for a mouse, wondering where it went. She grows slightly frustrated when she can't see anything and begins searching the room.

As Kai searches the room, Daniel steps up to the screen. He brings a finger up, then taps on the folder icon. A new window pops up when he does so. He turns to Kai and says "I think it's a touch screen."

Kai turns around from looking through a pile of junk, then watches as Daniel scrolls down the folder with his finger. She blushes slightly, then says "Oh." She wipes the dust off of her, then walks back to the screen.

She drags her finger along the screen, searching for anything important. She stops scrolling as she notices a file labelled "Research Data/Personal Info". She taps the file and a document pops up.

**Respawn Research: Day Seven**

**Today we decided to finally test out our new and improved respawn point. If this works, we could have even non-octolings respawn from these points, at any distance. If this works, we could have even the humans in the mountains respawn themselves. We just need to test if these implanted chips will work in tethering the soul to the respawn point.**

Daniel's eyes widen at that last part. "Soul? So this whole time, that's our soul being tethered to the respawn point?" Kai nods numbly, her eyes already reading the next log.

**Respawn Research: Day Ten**

**We got the chips up and running and decided to test it on an octoling first. He respawned without a hitch, and he was by Octo Valley! Soon, we all will be tested to ensure it can work consistently.**

Kai reads the sentence about Octo Valley with some thought. "_Could that test subject have been… my father?"_

**Respawn Research: Day Thirteen**

**My fellow researchers have all respawned without any problems. It'll be my turn today, and my wife will be the first non-octoling tested. We hope this will work, but if I die, I will keep a fail safe. I know these tests are dangerous, so I must bring my daughter to Octo Valley. Elizabeth agrees with me. We need to give our daughter a safe home. I'll be traveling today, and then respawning to get back.**

Kai's eyes widen as she sees the name. Daniel's eyes widen as well, and then he looks in the corner. He notices something important. "Kai, look in the corner."

Kai's eyes go up and she sees a name there. "Hiroka Shimada. Was that my… father's name?" Daniel nods slowly. "I… I think so." Kai stares at the name numbly, and then her gaze drifts back to the logs.

**Respawn Research: Day Seventeen**

**Something is wrong with our first test subject. His body's colors are dulling, and his expressions are becoming more crazed. He seems fine normally, but at random times he will growl loudly, a large grin on his face. I am getting worried.**

**Respawn Research: Day Twenty-Four**

**The first test subject has completely changed. His body is falling apart constantly, and the color is all gone. He's nothing more than a black mass of ink shaped like an octoling. He walks with that sick grin on his face, but seems to linger around the respawn point. We've decided to stay clear of the room and focus on other projects. Maybe we can fix this.**

The two hybrids look back to the door where the growling and scratching is still heard. Their eyes fill with worry, and they keep reading.

**Respawn Research: Day Thirty**

**My fellows scientists, even friends, they've all succumbed to this strange phenomenon. Their bodies are falling apart and they all have that same grin. They stay near the respawn point, never venturing maybe more than a few rooms away from it. I worry this may happen to me as well.**

Kai's eyebrows furrow in worry as she reads this. "_No. Please no."_

**Respawn Research: Day Thirty-One**

**One of the transformed just attacked a scientist. He walked into the same room as it and it instantly bit him, tearing into his flesh. The security team, or what's left of it, was able to pry the transformed off of him. I hope he is ok.**

Kai absentmindedly rubs her own wound. Daniel notices the action and places a comforting arm on her shoulder.

**Respawn Research: Day Thirty-Two**

**The scientist who was attacked died today. The transformed got ink into his bloodstream and he died from ink poisoning. At least he won't change into one of the transformed. I can't say the same about my comrades, or myself. A few of them completely turned today, and I can feel the affects. My body is struggling to stay together and my color is draining. It won't be long now.**

Kai's eyes start to tear up slightly at the log. She wipes her eyes, then continues reading.

**Respawn Reserch; Day Therty Five**

**Today is my las day. My hed hurts, my bodi hurts, i cant think. I am sory for brenging this pain Elizabeth. I am sory we cant rais Kai. I am sory.**

Kai's eyes widen at this last statement. She can only stare with wide eyes at the words on screen. There was an obvious amount of effort put into this last log. Her father was deteriorating, becoming one of those ink monsters. It seemed her mother was affected as well.

Kai suddenly chokes as her tears begin to build up. Daniel looks at her with a grim expression, worry etched in his face. He reaches out tentatively, then jumps slightly as Kai slams into him. Her cries of sorrow echo in the room, her tears flowing freely. Daniel frowns and embraces her tightly, trying to reassure her.

"**K-Kaaaiiiii."** Daniel's ears perk up as a foreign noise hits his senses. His eyes harden as he looks at the back of the security room. Another room was adjacent to it, the door slightly open. He watches intently for any signs of danger. Kai doesn't notice his gaze, simply sobbing uncontrollably into Daniel's Hero Suit.

A black hand reaches out from the adjacent room and Daniel's eyes narrow. He adjusts his hold on his left dualie, his right hand holding Kai close. The hand grabs the door, then pushes it open. The whole figure steps through next and Daniel's eyes widen.

It was a human, or what looked like a human. Her body was completely coated in the same black ink as the monsters. Her posture was slumped and her face was set in a depressed frown, nothing like the crazed grins of the monsters outside.

Her clothing was a simple lab coat, splotches of black ink on it. Her eyes, pure white, seem to train on the two hybrids. "**Kaaaiiiii…"**

Daniel raises an eyebrow as the monster points at Kai. He looks down, then at the monster. "Kai?" The monster nods. "**Miiiinnnnne."**

The monster points to herself, then to Kai again. Daniel looks between the two, wondering what this suddenly intelligent monster meant. And then, he gets it. "Wait. Your's? Kai? Are you… her mother?"

The monster nods slowly. Daniel's eyes widen, and he looks down at Kai. She had stopped sobbing at this point and was simply holding him tightly. Her ears were perked though and he could see one tear-filled eye trying to look behind her.

Daniel shrugs a little, making Kai shift. She looks at him, her eyes wide and filled with tears. He smiles and says "Go on. Talk to her." Kai turns her head to the ink monster behind her, and then she stands up.

The ink monster seems to smile slightly and says "**Grrrrooowwwwn." **Kai nods.

Elizabeth, or what's left of her, then points to a button on the screen they opened. Kai blinks, then looks over. There was a program icon. It said "Project Termination"

Kai's eyes widen, and she looks back to Elizabeth. "You want me to stop the program?" Elizabeth nods.

"**Reeeespaaaawn, offff." **Kai's eyes widen, but then she nods. She goes over to the screen and taps the program. A screen pops, saying "Power off Respawn Point?"

Kai's finger hovers over the Yes button, when Elizabeth shuffles closer. "**Noooo reeeespaaaawn, I diiiiieee." **Kai's eyes widen at that. "What?"

Kai's tears seem to burst back into life, and her expression becomes distressed. "No! I can't lose you, not after finding you!"

Elizabeth begins to crouch down, but it seems to take a lot of effort. "**Iiiiiiiit'ssss okkkkkkk."**

Kai chokes on her sobs, then embraces her mother. She doesn't even care that the ink burns her exposed skin. Her mother doesn't seem to care either and holds her tight.

Elizabeth then pushes her away and says "**Goooo." **Kai wipes her eyes, then nods. She goes back to the screen, Daniel watching silently. She brings her finger back up to the Yes button, but hesitates. She grits her beak, her eyebrows furrowed. She closes her eyes tightly, then presses the button.

A sudden alarm blares through the building, and the monsters outside begin shrieking. The clawing and scratching dies away, and the alarm begins to die down. As it does, the monsters seem to grow more desperate, their cries beginning to sound pained.

Elizabeth suddenly let's out a grunt of pain, her hand clutching her stomach. She falls onto her knees, then onto her back. She breathes raspily, then grunts again in pain.

Kai instantly rushes to her side. "Why is this happening?!" Elizabeth goes to open her mouth, but all that comes out is a shuddering breath. She closes her mouth again, then says

"**I am… connected to it. We… all are."** Kai's eyes widen as she hears normal words come out of Elizabeth's mouth.

Elizabeth tilts her ink covered head and the ink seems to fall off of her body. "**It was… necessary. We must… pass on."**

The ink human suddenly grunts again in pain, and her arm seems to dissolve into a puddle of black ink. Kai's eyes widen at that. She turns back to her mother and says "How are you speaking like this?"

Elizabeth let's out another shuddering breath, then smiles slightly. "**It takes… much effort, but… it is possible."**

Kai's eyes tear up again, her breaths beginning to come rapidly. Elizabeth reaches with her other arm and wipes the tears away. Her finger begins to dissolve at the ink's touch. "**Do not cry. I am… happy I could see you… again."**

Elizabeth turns to Daniel and says "**Protect her… please. She… needs love." **Daniel nods, not wanting to ruin the moment.

Elizabeth grunts again as her legs begin to dissolve, slowly approaching her torso. She smiles and says "**Live… happily. I will… always be with you."**

Her legs disappear, and she looks up. She smiles and says "**I am coming… Hiroka."**

Her torso disappears, and her eyes close. Kai can only watch in stunned and hurt silence as her mother's head begins to dissolve, then disappears completely. Kai shakes slightly, her mouth opening and closing as she searches for the right words. She grits her beak and tilts her head down slightly, her hands clenched.

Daniel walks over, then puts a hand on her shoulder. He kneels down, and Kai turns to him, holding him close again. Daniel simply embraces her, letting her cry silently.

After her tears stop falling, Daniel goes to get up. Kai grips his suit tighter and says "Don't go."

Daniel stops rising, then nods. "Right." Kai snuggles herself closer, her face blank as she looks into space. Daniel rubs the top of her head softly, Kai leaning closer into the embrace. "I'll always be here Kai. Always."

**-Author Notes-**

**This had to be my most emotional chapter I've ever written. This was a first, but I tried my hardest. I hope you enjoyed.**


	46. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

Silence was all they could hear after Elizabeth died. No more monsters, no more shrieking. Just, silence. And they were fine with that.

Kai was dozing lightly, her head snuggled against Daniel's chest. Daniel himself was leaning against the wall, simply chatting with the other agents in a chatroom.

**Joined: AGNT_3, Octari-Eight, Dedf1sh, Agent 1, Agent 2, Orange, Blue, 7**

**AGNT_3: Ika, I still don't get why you use just a number for your name**

**7: Because I want to be unique.**

**Agent 2: I little too unique if you ask me. **

**Agent 1: Hey! Don't talk to Iky like that!**

**7: I told you not to call me that…**

**AGNT_3: I think it's cute. ;)**

**7: …**

**Octari-Eight: Ha! He's speechless!**

**7: Why…**

**Agent 4 joined the room**

**Agent 1: Hi Daniel!**

**Agent 4: Hey.**

**Agent 2: So, what's happening? We haven't seen you for a few days**

**Blue: Yeah! I finally get to speak with you after you left.**

**Agent 4: Well, it's quite a long story. I'll just keep it short.**

**Agent 4: We searched for Kai's parents.**

**Orange: Kai? Who's that?**

**7: One of Octavio's generals. Really strong.**

**Agent 2: She's also an octoling/human hybrid.**

**Orange: Another one?!**

**Agent 4: Yes. Anyways, We just got finished. We found a facility filled with these ink zombies. They turned that way because of a faulty respawn point. Her parents were two of the scientists that turned into these monsters. Her mom still had some intelligence and spoke with Kai, along with how to turn off the monsters' respawn point. Turning it off killed the monsters, even her mom…**

**Blue: Oh. Is Kai ok?**

**Agent 4: She's fine. We'll be coming back soon.**

**Dedf1sh: Be careful.**

**Agent 4: I will. See you all in a couple hours.**

Daniel switches off his phone and looks down to Kai. He shakes he slightly, and a soft groan comes out of her throat. He smiles at the sweet sound.

Kai opens her eyes, then blinks wearily at Daniel. "H-Huh? What's going on?"

Daniel helps her stand up, then says "We're leaving back to Inkopolis. I'm sure you want to get home." Kai nods, her mind rapidly clearing up but still foggy.

Kai walks out of the room, but Daniel stops. He looks at the Killer Wail still in the room, then grabs it. He did have to return it.

Kai must've thought the same thing because she was holding the other Killer Wail when Daniel exits the monsters' room. The two then begin walking in silence to the outside.

Once they exit, they find the sun closer to the horizon. "Wow, time flew by." Kai nods, and the two begin going back up the hill.

Right before they re-enter town, Daniel walks over to the side slightly. Kai raises an eyebrow, but follows anyways. Daniel turns around a building, and disappears. Kai hurries slightly to follow.

As she turns the corner, she sees Daniel putting down his Killer Wail. He turns, and Kai notices two drones in the alley. Daniel fiddles with some buttons, and the drone begins to fly. It goes over to the Killer Wail, then grabs it. The drone then flies into the sky.

Daniel turns on the other drone, which flies over to Kai. It grabs the Killer Wail in Kai's grasp, and Kai let's it go. "What was that?"

Daniel begins walking out of the alley, so Kai rushes after him to keep up. "Those were some of Sheldon's drones. He makes the weapons in Inkopolis, and he lent me the Killer Wails."

Kai nods, and the two re-enter the street. Daniel pulls out his phone and looks at a map of the Calamari City. He traces his gaze over the path they needed to get to the train station. After making sure he knew the way, he says "Let's go."

The duo once again lapses into silence as they walk. Inklings were going about, doing their normal business. None of them paid any attention to the hybrids.

It only takes a few minutes, and the two find themselves back at the train station. They enter the station, and walk up to the desk. Daniel pulls out his ticket, and Kai her own, and says "Return trip to Inkopolis please."

The inkling at the desk grabs the ticket, then looks it over. He sees the single hole punch and says "Alright. Train leaves in 15 minutes." Daniel nods his thanks and the two walk over to the loading platforms.

They look around, searching for the train they needed. As they were looking though, a sudden sound hits their ears.

"I'm sorry! I don't know what you're talking about!" Daniel and Kai look at each other, than take off after the noise.

They turn a bend in the loading station leading to a secluded alley. Their eyes widen when at what they see. A young adult inkling, probably around 16 or so, was pinned to the ground by a much larger inkling.

The attacker had a massive body, bulky like a football player. He had on a jacket and ripped jeans, and a scar was on his cheek. He was scowling at the inkling, and his bright purple tentacles were hanging loosely down his back.

The giant inkling raises a fist and says "Tell me where those two humans went!"

The other inkling cowers and says "I don't know!" His gaze drifts to the side, and his eyes widen when he sees Daniel and Kai. He points and says "There! There they are!"

The giant inkling looks over, and his expression turns slightly surprised. He hides it quickly though with a grin. He drops the cowering inkling, who instantly runs out of the alley.

The giant inkling adjusts his jacket and says "Seems I finally found you two." His grin looked friendly, but his actions before said anything but.

Kai's eyes narrow and she says "What do you want with us? We heard you speaking about us."

The giant inkling nods and says "I can see that. I just wanted to… how do I say this? You two are freaks that need to be taught a lesson."

Daniel's own eyes narrow dangerously when he hears this. "What."

The inkling nods just like he is having a normal conversation, but that grin never leaves his face, and his eyes don't stop glaring. "I have a reputation of teaching those who don't know their place. You two are freaks of nature. A human and a cephalopod. Those two races don't mix, and as such you two shouldn't mix with our society."

The inkling adjusts his jacket again, then pulls down his sleeve idly. "Name's Konton by the way, and I'll be your new nightmare." He pulls his sleeve down completely, then begins running at the two of them.

Daniel's eyes widen as he sees the speed in which Konton was moving. He turns into a squid, then tries to super jump over Konton. The giant inkling grins widely and says "Not happening!"

Konton's leg suddenly seems to turn purple and he jumps much higher than an inkling, especially one of his size, should be able to jump. He grabs Daniel by his tentacles, then begins falling. Hold Daniel tightly, he bring his arm back, then rockets it forwards. Daniel slams into the ground with a mighty _CRASH_.

The dust settles, and Daniel is there in his squid form. His eyes are shut tightly, and ink was splattered around him. Kai's eyes widen as she sees Daniel convert back to normal, his body covered in bruises and bleeding in some areas.

Her eyes narrow and she looks back to Konton. He simply laughs, the same mocking glare in his eyes. "Come on, freak. Let's go."

Kai lowers into a fighting stance, her eyes as hard as steel. "You don't know what you are doing." Konton just grins wider. "Try me."

Kai shifts on her feet, waiting for Konton to move. The giant inkling simply stares with his arms crossed, then grunts in impatience. He begins running again, moving faster than a person of his size should.

Kai narrows her eyes, then turns into an octopus. Konton laughs and says "Wow, you two are idiots!" His leg turns purple again, and Kai's eyes narrow. She suddenly compresses herself, then angles at Konton. Konton's eyes widen as he sees the adjustment, but he was already committed to his actions. He couldn't stop.

Kai lets loose the ink compressed in her, and she flies like a rocket. Her angle sets her in a direct course for Konton, who was only ten feet away at that point. The power built into the super jump makes her slam right into Konton's stomach with the force of a bullet.

Konton's eyes widen immensely and he gags up blood. Kai reverts back to her humanoid form, then goes over to Daniel. She helps him up, then the two move out of the alley.

Konton was holding his stomach tightly, the pain immense. He grits his beak, then looks up. His eye widens slightly when he doesn't see the hybrids anymore. He suddenly growls and begins moving forwards.

The giant inkling leaves the small alleyway, then looks around for the duo. He looks to his left, and his eyes widen when he sees Kai and Daniel quite a ways down boarding a train. The train blows its whistle, and Konton knew he didn't have time. Instead, he looks at the sign on the station. "Inkopolis Express."

His face suddenly breaks out into a grin, and he laughs lightly to himself. "Inkopolis huh? Seems I might be seeing a few old faces then." He turns and, with one last adjustment of his jacket, strides off into the Calamari City. "Those two will regret fighting me."

**-Later-**

Daniel and Kai's return trip to Inkopolis was pretty uneventful. The two stayed mostly in silence, although Kai did sit on the same side as Daniel this time. She was leaning a little close to Daniel, thoughts running through her head at a mile per minute.

"_Daniel. He's new to me, and yet I feel connected to him. Maybe it's the fact we are both hybrids, and yet… it feels like something more. My heart flutters when I get close to him and I am entranced by his icy blue eyes. It couldn't be that I'm… in love with him?"_

She frowns as she considers this thought. "_I have been awfully close to him lately, especially after what happened in the facility. Maybe… he feels the same way?"_

She looks to Daniel and sees him looking out of the window of the train. She couldn't tell his thoughts because she couldn't see his face. She frowns, then puts her head on his shoulder. He doesn't react in a way that showed refusal. In fact, Daniel leans a little closer to her as well.

Kai smiles at that little action. "_Maybe he does feel the same way." _Her thoughts are suddenly interrupted as she feels the train begin to slow. She looks out the window and is surprised to see Inkopolis outside.

Daniel suddenly shifts, and Kai lifts her head back up. He stands, grabs his bag, then turns to her with a smile. "Come on, let's go see everyone."

Kai raises an eyebrow at that. "Who?"

"The agents of course." Kai's eyes widen, and then she nods.

"Ok then." She grabs her own bag, and the two leave the train.

Daniel breathes in deeply, then out. He smiles widely as he sees the city he's become familiar with in the past year. "So glad to be back."

The two walk down the street, a few inkling taking glances at the two of them. Other than those few curious squids, nobody paid much attention to them.

The duo stops in front of the grate leading to Octo Canyon. Daniel jumps in first, Kai following him closely.

The two pop out of the pipe, both of them shaking the ink off of their bodies. Kai's eyes widen when she sees a bunch of inklings, all of them wearing agent suits.

Daniel smiles, then says "Kai, meet the New Squidbeak Splatoon." Each of the agents all wave, giving their own greetings.

Kai waves back hesitantly, not sure what to say. One of the inklings step up, her tentacles yellow and a cape on behind her. She extends a hand and says "Hey, name's Agent 3."

Kai's eyes widen and she says "Wait, THE Agent 3?" Amber nods her head.

Kai grabs her hand firmly and says "I am honored to meet such an amazing fighter! I have heard both praise and fear for your abilities ever since you fought Octavio!" Amber smiles slightly at that.

Daniel then says "Alright Three. I think it'd be better if I just name them all off."

Daniel then goes down the line, listing the agents.

1 and 2 were obvious, as Kai already knew them, along with Agent 7. Agents 5 and 6 were both Pearl and Marina, and Agent Orange and Blue were the first agents to fight Octavio.

Daniel reaches the last agent, but Kai's eyes widen. "Octari!"

Octari huffs loudly and says "Finally! I was waiting for you to say something." Kai grins widely and says "Sorry, but I finally get to see you again!"

The two octolings run to each other and hug each other tightly. Kai then breaks the embrace and looks Octari up and down. "I like the clothes."

Octari smiles and says "Agent 3 gave them to me." Amber nods with a small smile.

Daniel then walks over and, with a sheepish grin, says "Sorry for dropping this all on your lap so suddenly Kai. I just wanted you to meet the other agents as soon as possible."

Kai smiles and says "It's fine, but when did you tell them to meet us here."

"When we were just outside Inkopolis." "Oh."

Marie then walks up to Daniel and says "Say Daniel, we can't help but notice those cuts and bruises you have. They seem fresh, unlike Kai's bandaged wound. What happened?"

Both of the hybrids' expressions become more solemn as they remember who gave Daniel those wounds. "It was an inkling. He attacked me when we found him torturing info out of another inkling in an alley."

Marie's eyes widen, and she looks back to Callie. Callie frowns, and Daniel notices easily. He could also see Ika's eyes darken with anger. Marie turns back and says "Can you describe him?"

Daniel thinks about it for a bit. It wasn't hard to remember the inkling's appearance. "He was wearing a red and white jacket, along with a white undershirt and ripped jeans. His face had a scar on the right cheek." He doesn't notice as Marie, Callie, and Ika all glance at each other.

"He also had purple tentacles, all of them the same length and going down his back, not like the two long and four short most inklings have. I also think he had plus-shaped pupils, so he must've been a native. Oh, and he was MASSIVE! Like, Octavio big."

Marie shakes her head, and Daniel looks over. "Something wrong?"

She shakes her head as Callie and Ika step up to her. Marie looks at Daniel and says "Last question. Was his name Konton?"

Daniel's eyes widen at that sudden question. "Yes, it was. How did you know?"

The three family members all look at each other with varying looks. Marie seemed distressed, Callie looked worried, and Ika looked like he was angry.

Callie turns to Daniel and says "Konton was a horrible bully for us when we lived in Calamari County. He always said how our remixing and love for turf wars didn't belong in Calamari County. He's beaten all of us up before."

Daniel's expression turns to one of surprise at that. "What?!"

Ika nods and says "I tried to stop him each time, but his size was too much. He always overpowered me and the fights ended with me a bloody pulp. He never cared for genders either, so sometimes all three of us would get hit."

Marie nods, her looks solemn. "He was one of the few colossal squids left in Calamari County."

Daniel frowns as he thinks about this. "That would explain his extreme size and bulk."

Marie nods. Daniel looks over to the side, his expression contemplating. "No wonder he took me down so easily. We'll have to be careful when going through that city if we return."

Callie nods, but suddenly smiles. "We don't have to worry here though! He won't come to Inkopolis in a million years!"

Daniel turns and says "How can you be sure of that?"

Ika steps up this time and says "The guy loves being feared in Calamari County. Inkopolis is filled with fighters, so he could never be feared here like he is there."

Marie nods. "We won't have to worry about him. He won't ever come."

**-Inkopolis Train Station-**

A train rolls to a stop in the train station. It opens its doors, and inklings begin to poor out of it. The last one was a giant inkling around 6' 5''. He adjusts his jacket, looking over the sprawling city. He growls as he sees the weapons most of the inklings were carrying.

"I hate this place. So much peace and happiness, and no one to control that. Well, it doesn't matter. I have matters to deal with." He begins walking out of the station, most of the inklings either moving out of the way, or being run over by his giant strides. "No one messes with Konton Colosso and gets away with it."

**-Author Notes-**

**I can't stay away from action! ~. Either way, the big trip to Calamari County is over. I hope you all enjoyed the little mini arc!**


	47. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

Shortly after meeting the agents, Kai decided to return to Ceph City. When asked why she didn`t want to stay in Inkopolis, she said "I am the general of Octavio's army. I have duties I need to attend to at home. But I promise I'll visit, ok?"

Things returned to normal after that. The agents all went back to their normal lives. Daniel went back to his normal turf war life, but he couldn't stop thinking about Kai. "_I hope she visits soon."_ For the new octoling agent, things are a little more interesting

**-With Octari-**

The red octoling grins widely as she tells Octavia a funny joke. The discolored octoling was giggling loudly at the joke. "D-Did he really do that?"

Octari nods, her smile still in place. "Yep! Cap'n Cuttlefish is hilarious when you wake him up."

Octavia giggles some more and says "I can see that."

After a few moments, her giggles begin to die down. She breathes in, then smiles at Octari. "So, anything else you want to do?"

Octari thinks about it, her face exaggerated. Her eyes suddenly widen, as if a light bulb went off over her head. "I know! You've been in here for a few days, maybe you can leave now? If you can, we can do turf wars!"

Octavia looks down at her arm, the IV drip still in. The patch of peach had expanded a couple inches, and a few spots were around the surrounding area. "It is working, but I wonder if I am producing my own ink now?"

Octari winks at her and says "Only one way to find out." She leans closer to Octavia's bed and clicks the help button.

After only a couple minutes, Dr. Kellan enters the room. "The help button was pushed. Something wrong?"

Octavia shakes her head and goes to say something, but Octari beats her too it. "We were wondering if Octavia can leave yet."

Dr. Kellan frowns, then says "Well… I'll have to check. She needs to be producing her own ink before she can safely leave." The two octolings nod, expecting the answer.

The doctor goes over to her IV drip and says "I'll need to remove this to test. It'll be about time for another bag anyways." Octavia nods, but Octari shudders slightly. She did not like the feeling of ink being drawn.

Octavia watches as the doctor unhooks the needle from the bag's tube. He brings the bag to the side, then says "Alright, I want you to stand up for me." Octavia nods and swings her legs across the bed. She puts her feet down, wobbling only slightly.

Dr. Kellan nods, then says "Alright, I have an ink tank back here. Let's see what color the ink is when it comes out." He goes to the back of the room where a closet was located. He opens it, rummages through it some, then pulls out an ink tank.

He walks back and hands her the ink tank, saying "If the ink is your normal red, then you will be producing your normal ink again. If it is a mix of red and blue, then you are still producing the suppressant ink."

Octavia nods, then puts on the ink tank. She takes the needle and, flinching only slightly as it does so, puts it into her ink sack. She turns around and says "What color is it."

Dr. Kellan's eyes narrow as he views the ink. After seeing a substantial puddle form in the tank, he says "It's pure red. You are good to go."

Octavia's eyes widen, and she grins widely. Octari laughs and hugs her tightly, swinging her around. Octavia laughs loudly as she gets swung around. Dr. Kellan smiles at the sight.

After the octolings' little celebration, Dr. Kellan says "Alright, I'll need the tank back." Octavia nods and grabs the extraction tube. She pulls it out slowly, the tip dripping ink. She hands the tank over, Dr. Kellan setting it to the side to be emptied. He smiles and says "You are good to go Ms. Octavia. Have fun in Inkopolis."

Octavia smiles widely and nods, Octari grinning next to her. The two leave the room, Dr. Kellan waving after them. The wave back, but quickly fall out of sight.

The door to the hospital bursts open as Octari sprints into the open air. "Aaahhh, fresh air! Feels so nice!"

Octavia nods, looking around in wonder. "I… I can feel it. The air feels amazing!"

Octari nods enthusiastically. "It really is, but just wait until you've done turf wars. It's so fun!"

Octavia smiles and nods. "I bet it will be if you're so excited." Octari just beams at her widely.

Octari smiles, a determined look on her face, and says "First things first! We need to get you a starter kit."

Octavia tilts her head, but doesn't say anything. She simply follows Octari as she begins moving into Inkopolis Square. It only takes a minute or two, and the two find themselves outside of Ammo Knights.

The door emits a little ring as the two enter. Sheldon looks up from his counter, and he smiles. "Ah, if it isn't Octari! How's the turf wars going?"

Octari smiles back and says "Good! I've already gotten to level 15 and got to Rank B+ in Rainmaker."

Sheldon grins and says "Nice job!" He then notices that someone else was in the room. She was hiding slightly behind her hair. She was smiling slightly, but she also looked shy.

The horseshoe crab makes a comforting smile and says "Come here, I won't hurt you."

Octavia shifts her leg, looking down. "I-I know, I just… don't feel comfortable in public."

Sheldon looks at her in confusion, then notices her odd colors. "Is it that coloring you have?" Octavia nods.

Sheldon grins and hops over his counter. "Well, I for one think it is very interesting. Were you born with it?"

Octavia frowns and shakes her head. Sheldon tilts his head in curiosity and says "So, then how did it happen?"

Octavia's mouth quivers slightly and she begins rubbing her arm for comfort. "It's… it's a long story."

Sheldon frowns when he sees the hurt look on the octoling's face. He sighs, then puts on a reassuring smile. "You don't need to tell me about it. So, what can I do for you?"

Octari grins and says "Fish here needs a tank and gun for turf war."

Sheldon suddenly grins widely and says "A new player huh?! Seems like fun! Give me just a second."

Sheldon goes back behind his counter and disappears under it. He pops his head back up and places two items down. "One ink tank and one Splattershot Jr. Have fun!"

Octari nods her thanks, then waves goodbye to Sheldon. Sheldon waves back, Octavia giving only a nervous wave. The two octolings then run over to the Battle tower.

They enter the lobby, and Octavia stares with wide eyes. Lights were everywhere, all of them flashing colors. There was a seating area to her left, and a desk to her right. Beyond the desk was an elevator, probably leading to the various turf war lobbies.

Octari goes over to the desk, Octavia following behind her. "Two for turf wars please."

The desk manager then says "ID cards?" Octari rummages in her bag, then pulls out her ID card. Octavia does the same thing, although now it included a turf war level.

The desk manager looks at the cards and says "Level 15 and Level 1." He looks to Octari and says "Teaching her the ropes?"

Octari nods and throws her arm around Octavia, who yelps slightly in surprise. "Yessir! I wanna teach her everything!"

The desk manager smiles and says "Alright. Room 23 is open for you. Go have fun." Octari says thank you, and goes over to the elevator. Octavia follows closely behind her.

After Octari gets the elevator to the right floor, the two exit. It only takes them a few moments to find the turf war lobby they needed. They enter, and find five inklings and one other octoling, none of them someone they knew.

Octari and Octavia go to the side with the two inklings. The inklings held an Aerospray and a Grim Ranged Blaster. Octari grins and goes over to a device in the corner. She presses a few buttons, and a loud sound is heard. Shortly after, a Carbon Roller is deposited in her hands.

After Octari gets her weapon, she goes back to the seating area of their side. Octavia shifts on her feet slightly, the grip on her Splattershot Jr. tight. Octari puts a hand on her shoulder and says "Don't worry, I'll be here." Octavia looks over, then makes a small smile.

A sudden tugging feeling is felt by the both of them. Octari looks up in anticipation, while Octavia's eyes widen at the strange feeling. It was like something just grabbed her whole body, but she could only feel it inside of her. She could feel it pulling her somewhere. Soon after this analysis, the two of them are pulled through the pipe above and into the battleground.

Their team, the yellow team, shakes off their ink. Octari looks over to Octavia and smiles when she sees that the tips of her tentacles, normally red, turned yellow. Her ink color also changed. "Looks like the color change worked."

Octavia turns to look at her tank, then smiles. "It did! That's good, right?"

Octari nods and says "Of course! It means you are one step closer to being normal." Octavia beams when she hears that.

A sudden whistle is heard, and their two inkling teammates take off. Octari grins and flicks her roller forwards, a long trail of ink made. She turns to Octavia and says "Come on!" Octavia nods and follows her, both of them swimming in the ink.

The two then team up, inking turf all around their base. Octavia is smiling, the thrill that she felt was amazing. She turns to a box to ink it, when something strange happens. The box suddenly flashes, then turns into a machine, a nozzle on top. She tilts her head, then blinks. The machine is gone.

"Hey, you coming or what?" Octavia turns and sees that Octari was impatiently tapping her foot. Octavia begins running at her and says "Sorry!"

The two continue out of the uncontested side corridor. They turn a corner, and they see a massive amount of yellow and blue ink everywhere. Octari grins and begins rushing into the fray, throwing her own ink everywhere.

Octavia smiles and goes to begin inking, when another flash hits her. The ink around her turns from yellow and blue to purple and green. Octavia stops dead in her tracks as the battleground changes into a plaza looking place, run down and buildings torn apart. She blinks, and it's gone again.

Octavia frowns in worry, and moves forwards a lot more slowly. Her vision was back to normal, but she was afraid of another flash. She steps into open ground, and an enemy inkling suddenly appears, a charger in hand.

"Look out!" Her ally inkling, the one carrying the Aerospray, runs in front of her. Just as he does this, the enemy inkling let's go of the trigger. Her ally is splatted instantly, his ghostly squid form huffing in irritation.

Octavia on the other hand has her hand to her mouth, her mind running wild. Just as the inkling went to protect her, another flash hits her vision. The inkling turns into an octoling, his tentacles purple and wearing octoling armor. "Commander Octavia, look out!"

The octoling thrusts himself in front of Octavia, just as an enemy inkling let's loose a charged shot. The octoling is hit square in the chest and recoils from the blow. He doesn't get splatted into a cloud of ink. He just falls and hits the ground, the life drained from his eyes. Octavia can only watch in horrified silence.

The enemy charger goes to fire his charger at Octavia, when he suddenly sees her shaking. He frowns and lowers his charger. "Is something wrong with her?"

His eyebrows furrow in worry as Octavia suddenly begins crying and falls onto her knees. He clicks a button on his cummincator and switches it to 'ALL PLAYERS' mode. "Um, guys? Something is wrong with the newbie. She's crying and is shaking like crazy."

The sounds of gunfire begin to die down as the players register this fact. Octari's eyes instantly fill with worry and she opens her map. She locates Octavia and super jumps over. The rest of her team and the enemy team follow close behind.

Judd sees the sudden ceasefire and frowns. "What is going on over there?" An inkling turns and says "Something's wrong with the newbie! She's shaking and crying uncontrollably!"

The cat's frown suddenly grows worried and he says "Let me call the hospital."

While the cat judge calls the hospital, Octari instantly runs to Octavia's side. "Fish? Fish?! Are you ok?!" Octavia doesn't respond, her eyes just wide and tears running down them.

The yellow octoling grits her beak in worry, wondering what to do. Just as she begins thinking this, a single reticle appears on the ground. Octari blinks in wonder, then surprise as a burst of white ink splashes on the ground.

A single inkling rises from the ink, her suit sporting a red cross. "Alright, what's going on here?"

Octari runs over and says "It's my friend Fish! She's shaking and crying and I can't make her stop!"

The paramedic runs over and looks over Octari. She frowns as she takes in the trembling form of the octoling. "This isn't good, it looks like a panic attack."

Octari looks over in surprise and says "A panic attack? Why would she be having a panic attack?!"

The paramedic shakes her head and says "I don't know, but we need to get her out of here." She turns to Judd and says "Judd! I call this match a draw, this octoling needs to get out of here." Judd nods, not wanting to argue with the professional.

The paramedic picks Octavia up and says "Let's go." She begins running to the return pipe on the yellow side, Octari following close behind. The other players all look at each other, then begin running to their respective return pipes as well.

The paramedic and Octavia reappear in the seating area of the room. She goes over to a chair and places Octavia down. The other inklings begin appearing, along with the other octoling. The paramedic turns to them and says "No need to stay kids. Go have some fun." The players look at each other with uncertainty, then begin leaving.

The white inkling notices that one octoling wasn't leaving and says "Come on, go join them." Octari shakes her head in refusal.

"I can't, she's my friend. I need to stay here." The paramedic sighs, then says "Alright, come here."

Octari goes over, moving quickly. The paramedic turns to Octavia and says "Stay here until the octoling regains her sense of mind." Octari nods and sits down next to Octavia.

The paramedic gets up and begins leaving. Octari's eyes widen and she says "Wait, where you going?"

The paramedic turns and says "A panic attack doesn't need my medical attention. As long as you stay there with your friend, things will be fine." Octari frowns in doubt, but nods. The paramedic smiles and leaves the room. Octari turns to Octavia, then raps her arms around the shivering octoling. "It'll be ok Octavia, it'll be ok."

**-20 minutes later-**

It took a long time, and Octari was beginning to worry it wouldn't work, when she feels Octavia begin to stop shaking. Octari turns to Octavia as the octoling heaves in a sigh, then chokes on her sobs. She blinks, then looks around in curiosity. "W-What… What happened?"

Octari grins, but her eyes are still worried. "Octavia, you're ok!" Octari hugs Octavia tightly, who looks confused. The sanitized octoling suddenly sniffles, then hold Octari tightly.

Octari smiles slightly, rubbing her arm on Octavia's back. "Don't worry, I'm here."

Octavia sniffles, then says "I-I know, and I thank you for that."

Octari gently pushes herself away from Octavia's embrace. "What happened?"

Octavia sniffles again and wipes her eyes. "I-It was so terrifying. It felt like I was in a massive turf war, but people were actually dying! They didn't splat either, their eyes just stopped seeing. I could see the life draining from them."

Octari frowns in worry, wondering what caused this. Octavia sniffles again and says "I think… I relived the Great Turf war."

Octari's eyes widen as she hears that. Now it made sense. Octavio did say that Octavia 'died' in the Great Turf War. This put a new perspective on things.

Octari suddenly embraces Octavia, much to the discolored octoling's confusion. Octari holds her tightly and says "I'm so sorry Octavia, I didn't even think about you being in the Great Turf war. This turf war must've triggered the memories."

Octavia looks at Octari, then smiles slightly. She embraces Octari as well and says "It's ok, neither of us knew that would happen."

Octari's eyes tighten and she says "But I should've realized! This is my fault."

Octavia shakes her head and says "No, it isn't. Please don't blame yourself for something you couldn't know would happen."

Octari grits her beak, her own eyes tearing up slightly. Octavia feels the sudden tension in Octari's body and begins rubbing her back. "It'll be ok."

Octari suddenly chuckles, her eyes still filled with tears. "Ironic, I should be comforting you."

Octavia laughs lightly too. "I can see the reason, but we support each other, right?"

Octari's eyes open, and she pulls back from the embrace. "Right. I forget sometimes."

Octavia giggles lightly, her eyes starting to dry. "I think we both do." Octari grins at the little joke, Octavia smiling back warmly.

Octari then gets up and puts a hand out to Octavia. Octavia grabs it, and Octari helps her friend and relative onto her feet. She grins and says "Come on, let's go." Octavia nods, and the two octolings walk out of the lobby.

**-Author Notes-**

**This... was an interesting chapter. When I thought of Octavia doing turf wars, I was excited. But then I thought of the fact she was in the Great Turf war. Things would not go well if someone in that war played these turf wars. The panic attack was new, but something expected in Octavia's ****situation****.**

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Thank you!**


	48. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47**

After Octavia's panic attack, the two octolings decided to take it easy for the day. Since neither of them had a place to live yet in Inkopolis (They could go to Octo Canyon, but they liked Inkopolis more), they went over to Amber's house.

Octari knocks on Amber's door, hoping the yellow inkling was home. The doorknob rattles, and the door opens. Amber's eyes widen when she sees Octari and Octavia standing outside her home.

"Well, isn't this a nice surprise." Octari grins nervously and nods.

"Yeah… we just needed a place to wind down. Turf wars… didn't go well." Amber raises an eyebrow, but doesn't say anything. She simply steps to the side and gestures for the two octolings to enter, which they do thankfully.

Octari takes off her shoes, Octavia doing likewise. They go to sit down, Amber following them from behind. Amber reclines in her chair and says "So, what happened?"

Octari shifts slightly in her seat and Octavia looks down. Amber notices their uncomfort and says "If you don't want to say, then don't. I won't force you." Octari smiles and nods her thanks.

The three then fall into silence, not exactly sure what to do. Amber, after staring at the ceiling for a while, says "Why don't I call in the Cuttlefish family and go hang out at the Shoal?" The two octolings look at each other, then nod.

Amber pulls out her phone and types in a quick message to the trio of Calamarian inklings. She puts her phone away and says "Come on. We'll meet them there." The octolings nod and get up, grabbing their shoes and following Amber out of the apartment.

**-Ika's house-**

The red inkling stares intently at the book in his hand. He was captivated by the adventurous storyline. Marie was fiddling with her phone, and Callie was reclining on the chair.

Suddenly, Callie lets out a large groan. "I'm so booooorrrreeed."

Ika only glances up once and says "Then go do something. No one's stopping you."

Callie frowns and twists herself. Now upside-down, she says "But I want to do something with you two!"

Marie, not even looking up from her phone, says "Then figure something out."

Callie twists herself back to a normal position and looks at the ceiling, thinking intently. Suddenly, her phone vibrates. "Ooo, a text! I wonder who it's from."

She pulls her phone out and sees a single text from Amber. "Looks like Amber wants us to hang out at the Shoal."

A light bulb suddenly goes off over her head and she says "That's what we can do! Come on guys, let's go!" Ika and Marie look at each other, then shrug. They get up and follow the hyper inkling out of Ika's house.

The trio walks over to the alleyway leading out of the rundown area of Inkopolis. The Squid Sisters are talking to each other, Ika smiling at the conversation.

His eyes suddenly snap to the left slightly as he sees a movement. He narrows his eyes and says "Guys, quiet down. We have company."

The Squid Sisters stop their conversation, then look around cautiously. Marie grabs her E-Liter, Callie grabs her Krak-on Roller, and Ika grabs his Inkbrush.

"Well well well, if it isn't the popped trio." The three inklings' gazes snap over to the left as they notice someone standing in the dark. The figure then grins, and steps forwards. His scar and massive size were unmistakable.

Ika growls and says "Konton."

Konton grins widely, his fangs flashing in the dim light. "Ika boy, you've grown!" His eyes trail to the brush in his hands and says "And you've got a weapon…"

Ika nods, his brush lowering into a battle-ready stance. "Yes, I do. And if you think we are the same as when we were kids, then you are sadly mistaken."

Konton looks at the three inklings, all armed, and he suddenly wonders if it was a good idea to provoke them. He frowns, then says "I can see that. I may be big, but I'm not dumb."

Marie scoffs and says "Could've fooled me."

Konton's eye twitches in irritation, but he reigns in his temper. He did not want to fight armed inklings, even if they were the same punks as before.

He flips the collar of his jacket up and leans back against the wall. "Just get out of here. I ain't here to tussle with you three anyways…"

The three look between each other, suddenly wondering what he meant. Ika looks back to Konton, then cautiously begins moving forwards. His glare never leaves the massive inkling, and he circles around the Squid Sisters to keep them safe. Konton just grins, watching in amusement.

Once the three leave the alley, Konton frowns. He looks down and says "I'll get you three soon enough. For now, I'm gonna find those two freaks who tried to take me down. No one can take down a colossal squid."

**-Back with the trio-**

As they leave the alley, Callie lets out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. "That scared me so much!"

Marie nods, her E-Liter put on her back again. "It sure did, but what is Konton doing in Inkopolis?"

Ika shakes his head, not sure himself. "I don't know, but it can't be good. We'll need to keep an eye out for him and make sure he doesn't cause trouble." The Squid Sisters nod in agreement.

The trio lapses into silence as they make their way to the Shoal. A lot of inklings pointed out the famous pop duo, but most of them stayed away. A few did make curious glances to Ika, wondering who the inkling was and why he looked like Callie.

Ika notices the glances, and frowns, shrinking slightly. He was never really scared of the public eye. It was more like he was uncomfortable with being the center of attention. He prefered going on his own or with close friends and family. If he public found out he was Callie's brother, they would never leave him alone.

Because of this, Ika quickens his pace. The Squid Sisters rush up to join him, and it takes only a couple more minutes for them to reach the Shoal.

Ika breathes out a mental sigh of relief as he enters the building. He looks around, noticing only a couple inklings playing on the arcades.

"Hey you three, over here!" The trio turns to the voice and sees Amber waving at them, Octari grinning widely. Octavia was simply watching with a calm expression of joy.

The three go over to their table and sit down. Amber smiles slightly, reclining in her seat. "Hey guys, nice to see you show up."

Marie smiles as well, her posture just as relaxed as Amber's. "I'm glad you invited us. Callie was getting a little anxious."

Callie pouts and says "But I was bored!"

Ika puts his head on his hand and says "Well, you could've done something. Your fault for wanting to stick with us two boring squids." Ika grins to Marie, who winks back to him.

Callie huffs and crosses her arms under her chest, her cheeks puffing out. Octari and Octavia giggle at the sight, causing Callie to look at them. This only causes the two to laugh louder.

As Callie watches them, she begins to ease up. Soon, she is laughing at her own antics. Ika shakes his head with a grin, while Marie shrugs in a 'what can you do' matter. Amber just chuckles.

Soon after, Octari and Callie are talking to each other at extreme speeds. It seems like their large amounts of energy helped bond the both of them quickly. Octavia just watches with a smile, but she was slightly exasperated at the speed they were talking.

This left only Marie, Ika, and Amber left. Marie looks over to Amber, and the two lock eyes. Marie smiles suddenly, and a little slyly, and says "I'm gonna go get some high scores. Have fun you two."

The two wave to Marie as she leaves to the counter to get some tokens. Callie notices where Marie is going and calls after her, running to catch up. Octari is quick to follow and Octavia follows her.

Ika turns to Amber and says "Want to join them?"

Amber shakes her head, saying. "No. I…" She looks over to the window, and Ika could swear he could see a small amount of yellow on her cheeks.

Amber turns back and says "I was wondering… would you like to, have a… date?"

Ika blinks, not sure what he just said. "Um… what?"

Amber frowns, her confidence wavering. "I said, would you like to have a... Come on Amber, say it." She grits her beak, then says "A date! Would you like to have a date?"

The black haired inkling can only gape at what he just heard. "I… uh… I. I mean, ok, I guess?"

Amber's eyes widen, and she grins widely. "Really?!" Ika nods. The yellow haired inkling then cheers loudly, invoking some of the old energy she had.

Ika grins nervously and tells her to calm down. It takes a little bit, but soon Amber is sitting back down, albeit with an overjoyed expression on her face.

Ika then frowns and says "I just need to know, what brought this on?"

Amber blinks, then chuckles sheepishly. She rubs the back of her head, her smile wavering. "Heh, I guess it was pretty sudden, huh?" Ika nods.

Amber's smile drops completely, and she sighs. "I guess… it's just that you are so kind and caring, not afraid to protect others if you can't do it. It's… admirable, and I love that."

Ika stares at her for a little bit, then leans back. He looks away slightly, then says "I… thank you, Amber." Amber nods.

Ika's mouth forms a thin line, and a small blush appears on his cheek. "I guess I could say the same about you Amber. So calm and collected, and yet you are ready to have fun at any time. You protect your friends fiercely, something I honor in a person."

Amber smiles slightly at the praise. "So… are you ok with a date?"

Ika looks down, seeming to think. He then hesitantly opens his mouth and says "I... I am fine with it. I'd like it in fact."

Amber beams at Ika, the red inkling simply grinning nervously back in return. Ika suddenly frowns and says "Wait, when are we doing this?"

Amber, not missing a beat, suddenly puts on a slightly seductive expression. "We always could just do it now."

Ika puts his hands up in defense and says "Woah there, why now?!"

Amber frowns that her seductive look didn't work, then mentally shrugs. It's Ika, what can you do? "Now would be nice because we are already in the Shoal, and it has good food."

Ika frowns and says "This place has more fast food than anything." Amber smiles and nods. "Like I said, good food."

Ika facepalms, shaking his head. "No Amber." He sighs, then says "Why don't we try the Calamari Kitchen? That place has good food."

Amber grimaces slightly and says "Ack, too formal." She looks at Ika's serious face, then sighs. "Fine, fine, we can do the Calamari Kitchen." Ika nods, then says "Thank you."

He looks over to a clock and, finding it to be 4:27, says "Why don't we get ready now and meet at the Kitchen by 5:30?"

Amber looks over at the time, then nods. "Alright. Gives me time to find something to wear."

"Oooohhh? Something to wear?" Amber screams, then turns around quickly. Callie is standing there with a smug expression, leaning on Amber's chair, while Octari laughs behind her. Ika doesn't react facially, but he flashes Callie a thumbs up in pride. Callie grins and winks at him.

She then turns to the yellow inkling and says "I heard everything. So happy that my little bro finally is getting a date." Ika just closes his eyes and sighs.

Callie grins, then turns back to Amber. "Come on, I can find you something to wear. Fashion is part of the pop idol business after all." Amber goes to reply, when she suddenly is yanked off of her chair. She can only move in numb silence as Callie pulls her out of the Shoal.

Marie, noticing the scene and hearing what was happening from Callie, goes over to Ika. She smirks and says "You got yourself a fine catch Ika."

Ika sighs and rubs his eyes. "Did I make the right choice?"

Marie's smirks drops, her expression suddenly serious. "Yes, you did. That squid admires you greatly, even though she doesn't show it easy. You probably made more than her day by saying yes."

Ika frowns as he thinks about this. "I… I guess."

Marie makes a small smile and says "Don't worry, things will be fine. Now then, why don't you find yourself a tux for the date?" Ika nods, then gets up. The two then walk out of the Shoal to find Ika some formal clothing.

**-Meanwhile-**

"Callie, come on, let go already!" Amber struggles against Callie's sudden vice-like grip as the pop inkling pulls her across Inkopolis. Octari and Octavia simply watch from behind, one amused and the other exasperated.

Callie shakes her head and says "No, not until we get there. It's only a couple blocks anyways." Amber struggles one last time, then sighs in defeat. She lets herself get dragged along the road, waiting for them to reach the store.

After a minute or two, the four girls find themselves in front of a specific store. Amber raises an eyebrow as she reads the name. "_Fresh Dress_. So, a dress store?" Callie nods.

"I go here when I need some new dresses for performances. Or, I used to." She opens the door and the four go inside.

As soon as they enter, Octavia gasps in awe. She had her sights on a beautiful red dress, and she instantly rushes over. Octari grins nervously and walks over to join the blue octoling.

While the two octolings go browse through dresses, Callie and Amber walk to the desk. The desk inkling had green tentacles tied into a small bow. The larger tentacles then hung in a ponytail from the top of the bow.

The inkling grins when she sees Callie and says "Callie! I haven't seen you for ages!"

Callie grins sheepishly and says "Yeah, I kinda lost my job."

The green inkling gasps and says "What?! No way!"

Callie nods. "Yes way. I was gone for too long, but it's fine. I can do turf wars for a living and I have more free time now!"

The inkling grins and says "Alright, that fixes things." She then becomes more business like and says "So, what can I do for ya?"

Callie gestures to Amber and says "This lovely inkling right here is going on a date. She needs a good, formal dress."

The green inkling grins widely at Amber. "I see. Well, give me just a second."

Her eyes suddenly focus intently on Amber as she sizes her up. Amber looks around, wondering what was happening, when the inkling closes her eyes and nods. "Calm, protective, hides a lot of energy."

Amber's eye twitches and she looks at Callie. The black haired inkling just shrugs, saying "You'll get used to it."

The green inkling then says "Alright, I got it. We need to get you a more thin dress. Not quite as poofy, and more tightly woven."

She gets out from behind the counter and begins strolling down the aisle, Callie and Amber following. The green inkling looks around constantly, searching for the right dress.

After a little bit, her eyes fall on a specific dress. "Aaahh, there it is." She goes over and grabs the dress. She brings it to Amber and says "Try this on."

Amber grabs the dress, then looks around. The inkling notices and points to the back of the store. "Changing rooms are that way." Amber nods her thanks and goes to the back.

Callie goes to the changing room and waits outside. She taps her foot impatiently, her boundless energy making her antsy.

"W-Well, how do I look?" Callie looks over as Amber suddenly speaks. Callie's eyes widen immensely, and then she grins. "You look beautiful girl!"

Amber blushes, then says "Guess I better buy it then."

Callie shakes her head and pulls out her ID card. "No need, I'll get it."

Amber opens her mouth to speak, but Callie waves her off. "No buts! I will buy it, ok?" Amber closes her mouth, then nods in defeat.

A few minutes later, the four find themselves back outside the store. Amber looks at her phone's clock and says "Alright, it's almost 5:20. We'll be there in no time."

Callie grins and says "K then. Let's go!" The four then walk down the sidewalk, quickly making their way to the Calamari Kitchen.

**-Calamari Kitchen. Time: 5:27-**

Ika looks around one more time, trying to see if Amber was coming. Marie notices this and sighs in exasperation. "Calm down Ika, it's not even the deadline yet."

The black haired inkling fiddles with the sleeve of his tux and begins pacing. "I know, but what if she isn't coming? What if she got hurt? What if all four of them got hurt?"

Marie rolls her eyes at Ika's tirade of crazy questions. She looks to the street, and her eyes widen. "There they are!" Her eyes then land on Amber, and she whistles loudly, a smirk on her face. "And Amber looks gorgeous."

Ika turns to the street after registering what Marie said. He looks around, and he soon finds the two octoling and two inkling party. His eyes then trail over to Amber, and they nearly pop out of his head.

Amber was wearing a tight-fitting dress, the fabric clinging to her body and showing her generous curves. Her right leg wasn't covered past the top of the thigh, leaving it completely bare. She had on heeled shoes, and her tentacles shined in the light.

Ika had hearts in his eyes as he sees the yellow inkling. The four stop in front of Ika and Marie. Amber notices Ika's astonished expression, then grins. She sways her hips and walks to the gaping inkling. "Like what you see, Iky boy?"

Ika suddenly snaps out of his daze, but he still nods. His face was extremely red, the blush massive. "Y-You look b-beautiful."

Amber grins seductively and gently grabs his tux, pulling him closer. "And I must say, you look very handsome." Ika just begins gaping like a fish out of water. Amber giggles, then says "I'm just teasing ya!"

Ika blinks some, then nods. "R-Right." He coughs, then adjusts his tux. He puts out a hand and says "Shall we?" Amber nods, and the two enter the restaurant.

Marie watches in happiness as she sees the two enter the building. She suddenly hears a sniffling, which causes her to get confused. She turns and sees Callie almost silently crying behind her. "Callie, what are you doing?"

Callie wipes her tears and clasps her hands in front of her. Her lips quivers as she says "M-My little bro, all grown up! It happened so fast…" She sniffles again as silent tears trail down her face.

Marie just looks at her with confusion. She turns to the two octolings, but they both just shrug. Marie looks back at Callie, then sighs in exasperation. "Come on Callie. You can cry somewhere else."

Callie nods and lets Marie lead her away. The four girls begin walking away from the building, leaving Ika and Amber to finish their date alone.

**-Inside-**

Ika nods his thanks as the waiter brings them their drinks. Fruit punch for Ika and a glass of tea for Amber. Amber turns to Ika and says "So, anything specific you want to order?"

Ika looks over the menu, frowning. "I don't see anything particularly pleasing at the moment." He closes the menu and says "I'll just eat what you get."

Amber nods, then looks at the menu. She begins looking at the multiple food items, searching for something good. She eventually settles on something. "How about fried salmon with some side salads?" Ika shrugs, saying "Fine by me."

The waiter comes back shortly after and the two order their food. The waiter nods, then goes to get their order ready.

Once the waiter leaves, the two begin talking about various topics. They first started with turf wars, eventually leading to different weapon types. It sounded less like a date and more like fighting tactics, but the two were ok with that.

Ika puts a hand in front of him and says "Ok, I guess that could work. You'd need to aim it just right though to hit someone that high."

Amber nods and says "I know that. Shooters don't have the best range, but they still can hit vertical targets."

Ika shrugs and says "I guess. Really, you'll find a roller to be the best all-round weapon in terms of positioning."

Amber grimaces and says "Until they are out range."

Ika grins and says "That's why you use the Dynamo Roller."

Amber shakes her head, her long tentacles swaying with the motion. "No, too slow for me."

Just then, the waiter comes back with their food. He smiles and says "Here you are Sir, Madam." The two says their thanks, and the waiter walks away.

Their conversation dies out as the two begin eating. Within a formal restaurant like this, it felt wrong to talk while eating, so they refrained from it until they were done.

Ika swallows his last bite, and Amber grins. "Took you long enough."

Ika mock glares at her and says "I wasn't trying to eat quickly you know." Amber just shrugs.

Shortly after they finish eating, the waiter comes back. He puts the bill down and takes the empty dishes. Ika picks up the bill and says "Come on, let's go." Amber nods, eager to get out of the restaurant. It was nice, but too formal for her opinion.

They walk up to the counter and pay for their meals. They nod their thanks to the staff, then leave the restaurant.

The two walk slowly, the both of them relishing the bright lights combined with the night sky. Speaking of which, Amber notices that Ika was looking up, seeming to search for something. She raises an eyebrow and says "Looking for something?"

Ika frowns, then says "There's too much light here." He grins and puts outs a hand. "Come on, I know a better place."

Amber raises an eyebrow, then grabs his hand. Ika turns into a squid, Amber following suite, and the two super jump into the distance.

Once the two touchdown, Amber puts her hands on her hips. "Ok, what is this about?"

Ika grins and says "Notice how there aren't any lights?"

Amber blinks, then looks around. She gasps when she sees Inkopolis quite a distance away. She turns around and finds the ocean, very close but not close enough to be harmful.

Ika smiles, then says "Here, look up." He looks up, and Amber follows his gaze. Her mouth drops open in awe as she sees the sky.

It was dark blue, nearly black, and it was littered with thousands upon thousands of glittering white dots. Amber's eyes sparkle as she views the beautiful sight. "I-I've never seen this before!"

Ika smiles as he takes in the amazing sight. "It's because of the lights in the city. They stop the stars from being seen well."

Amber continues to stare at the sky, but she does say "Is this what you wanted me to see?"

Ika's smile becomes more gentle as he says "Yes, it is. Do you like it?"

Amber grins and looks at the black-haired inkling. "Like it? I love it!"

Ika grins as well, saying "I'm glad you do."

The two stare at each other, the night sky and calm ocean lulling them into a more peaceful state of mind. They don't even notice as they begin inching closer.

Amber stares into Ika's eyes, their vibrant red color pulling her closer. She felt so at peace, so safe with him. It was… a new, but amazing feeling. She closes her eyes and smile at the thought.

Ika himself was drawn by Amber's eyes. They were a bright yellow, glowing like the sun. He closes his eyes as he thinks of how this fit her calm but vibrant personality.

The two of them continue inching closer, until no more distance is present. Their lips meet, and they instantly are lost in the kiss.

Ika's mind runs wild, and yet he still felt calm. Amber's lips were soft, and he loved the feeling. He puts a hand behind her back and pulls the beautiful yellow inkling closer. Amber wraps her arms around his neck and goes even deeper into the kiss. Ika responds eagerly.

The two are lost in each other's presence for a long time. After a couple minutes, they part again. Amber pants slightly, a large blush on her cheeks. She giggles suddenly and says "That… that was amazing."

Ika nods, his face similarly flushed. He grins slyly and says "Again?" Amber takes a deep breath, then nods. Their mouths meet again and they are lost in the bliss.

**-A few minutes later-**

Under the shade of a tree, the two inklings are sitting in peace. Amber had her head against Ika's shoulder, the male inkling resting his head on her's. Amber, her eyes closed, says "This had to be one of the best nights of my life."

Ika nods, rubbing her side gently. "It really was. I have to thank you."

Amber opens her eyes and looks up at Ika, but doesn't move from her position. "For what?"

Ika lifts his head and looks up at the stars. "I've… never thought this could happen to me. I didn't understand this love, but I think I do now."

Amber smiles and looks up at the stars as well. "Well, then you are welcome."

Her smile becomes more blissful and says "I love you Ika."

Ika looks down, smiling gently. "I love you as well Amber." Their mouths meet again, and they quickly part. They look back up at the sky and get lost in its entrancing beauty.

**-Author Notes-**

**This was a much longer chapter than I originally planned. I hope you guys enjoyed my first try at an actual romance scene!**


	49. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48**

The day had started normally for Daniel. He got up, got dressed, ate, then went out to do some turf wars. He was on a winning streak, something he rarely saw happen. Normally, his games were evenly mixed and he would have losses and wins strewn about his playing periods. He couldn't help but wonder if something bad was going to happen.

After finishing another turf war, Daniel sighs in exhaustion. He didn't know how many matches he played, but he racked up a lot of cash from the competitions. He smiles, wiping some of the sweat on his forehead off. He pockets the cash and leaves the turf war lobby.

He steps out into the sunlight, looking around. His gaze eventually trails over to the grate leading to Octo Canyon. He smiles, then decides to go pay Kai a visit. It has been a few days. He walks over and jumps into the grate. He never notices a pair of eyes watching him, grinning as he sees the hybrid jump in.

Daniel pops out of the grate, his hero suit on. He holsters his dualies and walks past Cap'n Cuttlefish, waving to the old inkling. Once he is in the kettle hub, he turns into a squid and super jumps away. Cap'n chuckles as he sees him leave. "So eager, so young."

"Excuse me?" Cap'n looks over to the grate as he suddenly hears a voice. He sees a massive inkling as tall as Octavio. He had on a very intimidating set of clothing, but his face was friendly. Cap'n's eyes narrow though when he sees it though. "_He doesn't seem completely friendly…"_

The massive inkling steps forwards and says "Where did that squid just go?"

Cap'n raises an eyebrow and says "Why do you need to know?"

The inkling shrugs and says "Well, we were talking when he suddenly ran off. I want to make sure he's ok."

Cap'n's eyes narrow again as he hears this. "_Four never once mentioned a friend of this size. Something doesn't add up here. Ah well, he'll have the Octarian Army breathing down his neck if he tries to fight here."_

The old inkling then says "He went to Cephalon HQ."

The inkling pulls out a phone, then nods. "I see. Thank you." Cap'n nods, then watches as the squid super jumps away. He suddenly chuckles grimly, going back to his crab cakes.

**-Ceph City-**

It took Daniel barely any time to reach Ceph City. After exiting the kettle, he instantly started moving towards Octavio's palace. His long strides ate up the distance, making him reach it in only a couple minutes.

After getting access from the guards, he quickly navigates the palace to Octavio's throne room. He knocks on the massive doors, a response coming quickly after. "Enter."

The doors push open, and Octavio raises an eyebrow in surprise. "Daniel? What are you doing here?"

Daniel bows slightly, then says "I'm here to see Kai. Is she available?"

Octavio taps his chin with his ever-present wasabi stick, then shrugs. "I can make her available. Give me a second." He pulls out a device from his kimono, then types in a message.

"Alright, I told her you're here." Octavio then steps up, cracking his stiff back. He sighs in pleasure as a bad crick is removed. "I need to work on something anyways. Wanna join?" Daniel nods, not wanting to upset the king. Octavio then walks down the short throne room, waving for Daniel to follow.

**-Ceph City Dojo-**

"Right, left, right, left! Come on, pick it up!" Kai walks down the line of octoling troops, her posture typical of a high ranking army official. Her green seaweed, put on because she was on duty, swayed as she walks.

The elite octoling notices a slight mishap in an octoling's fighting sequence. She goes over and gently tells her how to do it, but also firmly. She didn't want her soldiers becoming soft. The soldier nods her thanks, then goes back to the drills.

Kai makes her way back to the front, her eyes hidden behind her shades. She smiles ever so slightly as she sees the amazing work each soldier was putting into their training. "Alright, that's enough."

After that training regime, most people would've collapsed or went straight for relief. The octolings, trained vigorously in discipline, did not move after Kai said to stop. She smiles, then says "At ease soldiers."

The octolings THEN release a collective sigh of exhaustion. They all go over to their various piles of equipment, eager to go home and rest. Kai on the other hand grabs some of her stuff. She strips out of her armor, leaving only her shorts and tank top. She wraps her hands in bandages, ready to practice.

Just as she finishes wrapping her hands, her phone vibrates. Kai looks over, then grabs it. She sees a message from Octavio telling her to meet her in the Octobot King arena. She packs up her stuff, then takes off.

**-Outside the palace-**

"This job is really boring." The octoling guard nods in agreement. Being a gate guard meant they simply had to let people in of the palace grounds, or keep them out. Nothing much ever happened.

The same guard then points her gun at something, saying "Hey, someone's coming."

The other guard looks over, and her eyes widen slightly. The person was an inkling, but he was massive, almost as tall as their king. But, he was also much bulkier and looked extremely powerful.

The inkling stops in front of the gate as the two guards step in front of him. One of the guards levels a small glare and says "State your name and business."

The inkling crosses his arms and says "Name's Konton, and I have business with that inkling with the suit that walked in here."

The guards look at each other, then back to the inkling. "Agent 4?"

Konton shrugs and says "Don't care. All I know is that I saw him walk in here and I want to see him."

The guards shake their heads, one saying. "That isn't adequate enough. I'm sorry, but you can't enter here."

Konton throws his hands up in the air in exasperation. "Here I am being the nice guy, trying to do things normally, but NO! You just had to make things hard."

The other guard narrows her eyes as she sees hostility in the inkling's posture. His body was tense and his eyes were burning with rage. "Sir, I suggest you leave before we make you by force."

The inkling suddenly stops, then slowly looks back to the guards. He grins suddenly, his massive fangs flashing with an eerie light. "Force me? Force, ME!? HA! You couldn't force me to do anything even if I let you!"

The guards frown, both of them lowering their octoshots. "Sir, this is getting out of hand. We will not hesitate to fire."

Konton rolls his eyes, then says "Now this is just ridiculous. Time to end this."

Faster than their eyes could follow, Konton's hands shoot forwards. He grabs the two guards, then slams their heads together, HARD. The two octoling's suddenly buckle and fall to the ground unconscious. Konton flips up his collar and pushes open the gates, leaving the guards behind. No other octolings or inklings noticed.

One octoling notices the massive inkling walking up the road and wonders what he was doing. The octoling shrugs, then continues down the path to the gates so he could go home. His eyes narrow though when he sees something wrong with the guards.

He rushes forwards, then gasps slightly as he sees the guards knocked out. He looks back to the massive inkling, who was strutting around like he owned the place. The octoling growls, then pulls out his phone. He types in a message to all the staff of the castle, especially Octavio, and leaves to get medical treatment for the octoling guards.

**-Octobot King Arena-**

Daniel looks around in awe at the massive arena he sees. Rows of bleachers floated silently in the air, and multiple structures of octopus tentacles with speakers littered the area. The ground was covered in ink, and massive screens lined the walls of the dome, all of them blank.

Octavio notices the inkling's awe and chuckles. "Quite the impressive sight, isn't it?" Daniel just nods, still trying to take in the size of the room beneath the castle.

The two then walk onto the main arena floor; a massive, floating, circular platform. Daniel's gaze drops from the ceiling, and his eyes widen again.

In the center of the arena was a massive machine. It was upright and had multiple spots that needed plating or paint, but otherwise looked to be in good condition.

Octavio goes over and pats the massive machine. "This here is the Octobot King Mk. II. I made it as a possible countermeasure to Octavius's attacks. In the end, it was just another boss made to be trashed by you agents."

Daniel opens his mouth, then closes it. He shifts slightly, then says "Well, um, I… I'm sorry?"

Octavio shakes his head and says "Don't be. I never would've had to weaponize my DJ booth if not for Octavius and his thirst for power and revenge."

The octo king then steps over to the cockpit of the machine. He steps inside, then rubs his hand gently across the DJ booth. "I made so many songs with this booth. I'm glad I managed to keep it functioning all these years…"

Octavio sighs, his look becoming longing. "If only things could go back to the way they were. Me, Shara, and my sweet Octavia all living in peace within the castle."

He shakes his head, then says "But, they can't be that way." He suddenly points to the side and says "Fetch me that toolbox will you?"

Daniel looks over and sees a large red box. He nods, then goes over. He picks up the box and brings it back to Octavio. The octoling nods his thanks, then takes off his kimono. He puts it on the DJ booth, his clothing now a simple t-shirt and pants. He grabs a few tools and goes over to one of the exposed parts of the machine, beginning to work.

Daniel simply steps back and watches the old king work on the bot. He was fascinated in the absolute certainty that Octavio had when repairing everything. He looked so confident, so sure of himself. No wonder the octolings loved him.

"My lord, you called?" Octavio pulls himself out of the hole in the Octobot King and looks back to the entrance to the arena. He smiles when he sees Kai approaching them.

"Ah, General Kai! So glad you could join us." Daniel's eyes widen and he turns around. He grins when he sees Kai walking to them.

"Kai!" The octoling hybrid smiles and nods to the inkling hybrid. "Daniel."

Octavio waves his hand and says "Alright, drop the formalities Kai." Kai nods, her posture suddenly loosening. Daniel blinks as he sees the sudden change.

The octo king then turns to the two hybrids completely and grins. "I was thinking it would be a nice challenge for the both of you to try and beat the other in physical combat."

The two hybrids' eyes widen, and Kai says "A fight? You want us to fight?"

Octavio nods and says "I know how much you train in martial arts Kai. I think it'll be fair to see how Daniel fares against his girlfriend, no?"

Daniel blushes slightly at the girlfriend comment, then says "But I haven't had any physical combat training."

Octavio waves him off and says "Don't worry, you'll be fine. And Kai, take it easy if he can't handle it." Kai nods, then turns to Daniel.

"You heard him. Ready to go?" She lowers herself into a battle stance, ready to begin the battle. Daniel looks uncertain, but then lowers into his own stance. It was sloppy, but he tried. "I guess I am…"

Kai smiles and says "Alright then. 3, 2, 1, go!" After saying go, Kai seems to take off like a bullet. Daniel's eyes widen and he crosses his arms in front of his face. Kai slams her fist into Daniel's guard, causing the inkling to slide back some.

The octoling gives Daniel no time to recover before she is back on him. She sends blow after blow, each one almost connecting. Daniel was just barely able to avoid them.

Kai jumps back and smiles. "You have good reflexes." Daniel just chuckles nervously.

Kai's smile drops slightly and she runs forwards again. Their little game of cat and mouse continued. Kai would give it her all to hit Daniel, and Daniel would always be able to barely dodge. Octavio simply watches in interest.

"Alright, stop!" Kai stops almost instantly, while Daniel stumbles slightly at the sudden command. Octavio claps his hands and says "Bravo to the both of you! Kai, your fighting techniques and skill are spot on, and Daniel, your reflexes are the best I've ever seen!" Kai bows her thanks while Daniel blushes slightly at the praise.

The octo king then waves them over and says "Now then, either of you like being a DJ?" the two hybrids look at each other. Daniel shrugs and nods, Kai just watching. Octavio grins and waves them over again.

The two hybrids walk over to the mech, then step inside. Octavio sits in his chair while the two hybrids stand behind him. Octavio grins as he looks at all the buttons and dials that control his booth. "Ah, I love this feeling."

With a flick of his turntable, the mech suddenly shakes. Daniel stumbles slightly, and Kai's eyes widen behind her shades. "W-Woah, how are you powering this thing?"

Octavio, turning another dial, says "The treaty let us have some zapfish from the inklings. They didn't need all of them anyways. Haven't you noticed the improved conditions of Ceph City?"

Kai, now used to the slight rocking of the mech, nods. "I did see that. I didn't think it was because of zapfish though." Octavio shrugs and says "Well, now you know."

Octavio flicks his turntable again and his favorite song turns on. Kai blinks as she recognizes it as the song Octavio played during his first battle against Orange and Blue. Octavio laughs some and begins using his mech's various weapons. They all seemed to work fine, and none of the fists weren't spinning this time.

Daniel, after stumbling slightly again, says "What's the point of having a weaponized DJ booth."

Octavio fires some calamari bombs, then says "It's just a resort of defense. I never plan on using this as a weapon of war." Octavio pushes a dial up and the music seems to speed up. The weapons begin deploying even faster.

After a few more tests, Octavio lowers the mech to the ground. Settling it back in the middle of the stage, Octavio turns off his DJ booth. He hops out of the machine, grunting slightly as he hits the ground. Kai and Daniel follow.

Octavio cracks his back, sighing as he feels a crick disappear. "Alright you two, you can stay if you want, but I need to attend some business. Only rule is don't touch the Octobot King, k?" The two hybrids nod.

Octavio goes and grabs his kimono, quickly putting back on. His royal attire back in place, he then walks out of the arena.

**-Elsewhere in the castle-**

Konton watches from within the lobby area of the castle for the inkling hybrid. After not seeing him appear for almost half-an-hour, he was almost ready to give up. Then, he notices something.

A giant octoling wearing a royal kimono and helmet was walking out of a specific hallway. Konton watches the octoling, then turns to the hallway. "_That must've been King Octavio. I've never know anyone else as big as him, other than me of course. I wonder, what was he doing down there?"_

Having no other leads, Konton decides to make his way down the hallway. He looks around, seeing if any octoling were watching. After seeing that he was in the clear, he quickly disappears into the hallway.

It only takes him a few seconds before the hallway ended with a door. Konton pushes the door open and finds a single kettle. It was labelled 'Octobot King Arena'. Konton grins, then steps onto the kettle. Turning into a squid, he falls into the kettle and is shot downwards.

**-Octobot King Arena-**

Daniel and Kai decided to use the privacy offered to them to talk about more personal issues. Neither of them were ignorant of their love for each other, but neither of them knew what to do about it.

Kai, leaning her head on Daniel's shoulder, says "I don't think we can live with each other for the time being."

Daniel nods, his head leaning on her head. "With you being an army general, yeah, it won't happen."

Kai smiles and snuggles closer, saying "But we can still have a relationship."

Daniel smiles, nodding. "Yeah, we can."

"Well now, isn't this a _cute _sight." The two hybrids instantly jump to their feet as they hear a foreign voice. They look to the kettle serving as the entrance to the arena, and their eyes widen.

Konton grins menacingly and steps off the kettle, walking over to the arena. "Two freaks who love each other. The perfect scenario for me to destroy."

Kai growls while Daniel grabs his Hero Dualies. "What do you want… Konton, was it?"

Konton nods, his grin slightly prideful now. "Seems my name precedes me. How amazing." His eyes then trail over to the set of Hero Dualies Daniel was holding. He growls as he sees them.

"_Weapons again. I can't ever get a fair fight from these stupid inklings." _His gaze wanders around the arena, wondering if there was something he could use to his advantage. His eyes settle on the giant mech behind the two hybrids. "_Perfect."_

Konton continues walking towards the duo. He keeps his arms crossed, but it doesn't stop the two hybrids from keeping their guard up. Both of them knew how strong this inkling was when they first encountered him.

The giant inkling walks around the two hybrids, his posture relaxed and confident. "I can see you guys are on guard, but it won't help much. Not when I use this!" He suddenly sprints forwards toward the mech, his massive strides eating the distance in seconds.

The hybrids' eyes widen, and Daniel raises his Hero Dualies. Just as he goes to fire, Konton jumps over the booth and into the cockpit. He slams his hand on the first button he sees. It was pure luck that it was the one that activated the shield.

Daniel's shots bounce harmlessly off of the shield that the mech put around itself. Konton grins, then fiddles with a few more buttons. The mech shakes some, moving in sporadic ways, then begins floating.

Konton laughs, then eyes the turntables. He turns one, and the left fist begins charging up. It fires at the two hybrids, who then dive out of the way. Konton grins at the booth, realizing how much power he now had. "This is incredible! I can do anything I want now!"

The massive inklings laughs again as he turns a dial, the calamari bombs shooting from the booth. They all land around the two hybrids, who look around in worry. Daniel raises his dualies and fires at a bomb. It breaks apart, becoming useless, but then the others shake. Daniel grabs Kai's hand and leads her through the opening left by the destroyed bomb. They just barely manage to escape before a fist hits their previous location and the bombs explode upwards.

Kai jumps to another location and Daniel dodge rolls as another fist hits the ground. Daniel fires some more shots, but they all just bounce off of the shield. Konton laughs at the futile attempts.

Kai then stands up and says "Shoot the fists back!"

Daniel nods, then dodge rolls to avoid a sudden suction bomb. He watches as another fist is launched at him, and aims at it. He fires his dualies, coating the fist in ink. It slows down, then launches back at the Octobot King. Konton's eyes widen as he sees the fist coming back, then stumbles as the entire machine begins shaking.

After he rights himself, Konton growls. "Alright, now you've done it!" He flicks both turntables, then presses a large button. Both fists fire, neither spinning, and Daniel takes aim. Then, rings begin forming around him. His eyes widen and he dodge rolls out of the rings. The killer wail then blasts its deadly sound waves. Both fists hit the ground, then retract.

Kai watches the exchange closely, looking to see if there was anything they could use to their advantage. She watches as the fists hit the ground, then retract. Her eyes widen when she sees the fists still leave behind a dark purple octarian ink, different to the color the inklings change to when entering Ceph City, but a color Kai could change to.

Kai closes her eyes, then sighs. Her eyes reopen and they are a dark purple, the same color as the ink launched by the mech. She steps forwards confidently, ready to try a plan.

Konton goes to fire another set of attacks at Daniel, when he sees Kai walk forwards. He grins and turns the mech to Kai, his control of it increasing by the second. "So, you want to be splatted first? Be my guest!"

Konton slams his hand on the button that activates the Killer Wail. He watches as the rings begin to form around Kai, grinning in satisfaction. The Killer Wail then blasts the beam forwards, completely engulfing Kai. Konton laughs and Daniel's eyes widen as he sees her disappear.

"Is that all?" Konton's laughing stops as suddenly as the voice appeared. He looks back to Kai and his eyes widen he sees her standing there, not a scratch on her.

Konton gapes like a fish, then manages to say "W-what?! You should be splatted!"

Kai shrugs, simply saying "Isn't that a mystery." She tenses her legs, then runs at the machine. She turns into an octopus and compresses herself. Konton notices this and decides to stop her. He sends a fist, hoping it would hit. Kai narrows her eyes, then launches.

Both Konton and Daniel's eyes widen as they see Kai launch by the fist, barely avoiding it. She closes her eyes, and Konton's eyes widen immensely as he realizes that the shield didn't stop her. "Oh no, no no no not again!"

Kai slams into Konton's stomach full force. The massive inkling rockets backwards, slamming into the numerous lights behind the booth. He suddenly begins to spasm as electricity shoots though his body. Kai reverts back to humanoid form and instantly powers down the mech, the machine slowly falling back to its original position.

Daniel runs over, vaulting over the booth. He grabs Kai and pulls her into an embrace, saying "Kai! I can't believe you managed that!"

Kai chuckles, then pushes him away. "I thank you for your concern, but we aren't done here." The two then turn to the giant inkling who was just now beginning to recover.

Konton shakes his head, then looks up. Daniel had a dualie aimed at his head and Kai was putting her phone away. "I just contacted the authorities. You are going to be sent to prison for not only assaulting us unprovoked, but also trying to steal the king's mech."

Konton's eyes widen at the last part. He just tried to use the king's own mech to kill these two. Kai suddenly smiles grimly and says "Maybe you shouldn't tussle with an agent and Octavio's top fighter next time." The massive inkling seems to deflate at that. He was fighting a losing battle this whole time. He curses himself for his damn temper and need for revenge.

After a few minutes passed, a squadron of octoling enter the arena. Led by a single octoling elite, the squadron held four other octolings. They all were equipped with the standard Octo Shot. The elite turns to Kai and says "Is this the assailant, general Kai?"

Kai nods and says "Yes, he is. He'll need to be sent immediately to prison."

Konton's eyes widen and he tries to get on his feet. The feeling of Daniel's dualie on his head makes him sit again. "W-Wait, isn't there supposed to be a trial?!"

Kai smiles and says "Yes, normally there would be. But, our shades record anything we have seen from the past 24 hours." She taps her head where her shades were resting. Konton's eyes widen even more, and he looks between those present. None of them would show him sympathy.

The elite octoling then says "I think we're done here. Otome, wrap him up." An octoling nods, then reaches into her pack. She grabs a long rope, dripping in some sort of substance. She begins wrapping it around Konton, who watches with an analyzing eye.

Kai notices the look and says "Don't even think about escaping. Those binds are covered in water and will instantly dissolve you if you try to turn into a squid. It'll be even harder for you since you are so big."

Konton's eyes widen at what Kai says, and he looks at the bonds. He tries struggling, but he can't break them. He slumps in defeat, his mind going numb with it. For the first time ever, his large size worked against him.

The elite octoling pushes Konton onto his feet and says "We'll get him to the prison. Take care General Kai." The octoling salutes Kai, the hybrid returning the gesture. The squadron of octolings then walk towards the kettle, all of them surrounding Konton. They remove the grate from the kettle so Konton can step in, and they all leave.

Kai and Daniel finally loosen up, their guards dropping. Daniel slumps onto the chair in the DJ booth and says "I can't believe that guy came all the way here just to fight us."

Kai nods, similar thoughts in her head. "He certainly was persistent. At least now he won't bother anymore inklings or octolings." Daniel nods in agreement.

The two then get up and Daniel says "I should probably head back to Inkopolis now. Thanks for hanging out with me."

Kai smiles and says "You certainly have an interesting opinion on what 'hanging out' means." Daniel just chuckles sheepishly.

Kai's smile then becomes more gentle and she says "Honestly though, I did enjoy this. Visit again?" Daniel nods. "Of course."

The octoling hybrid then jumps forwards suddenly, startling Daniel. She plants her lips on Daniel's and his eyes widen. They close in bliss though and he returns the kiss passionately. Kai then parts their mouths and says "Take that as a farewell gift."

Daniel grins, his face flushes. "T-Thank you." He waves to Kai, then walks to the kettle. He jumps in and disappears. Kai then grabs her things and makes her way to the kettle as well. This certainly was an interesting day.


	50. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49**

The sun was high in the sky, and the inklings in Inkopolis were moving around with a smile on their face. Some had weapons, and others had nothing. But when a jingle is heard throughout the city, each and every one of them stopped what they were doing and turned to the big screens on the buildings.

Pearl and Marina smile as the camera comes on, beginning the news as usual. "Y'all know what time it is!" "This is Off the Hook coming at you live from Inkopolis Square."

Pearl turns to Marina and says "Hey Marina, before we start, you want to tell everyone the big news?"

Marina gasps and says "That news?!" Pearl nods.

The octoling turns to the camera again and says "It seems that a new business has come into play here in Inkopolis."

The screen behind them flashes, and a business logo pops up. It had an orange and black color scheme, and the symbol looked like some fish with arrows around it. Marina smiles and says "Grizzco is a new company started by Mr. Grizz! He has offered every inkling a chance to participate in his part-time job schedules. He'll even offer you rewards with the pay."

Pearl grins and says "That seems like quite the bonus!"

Marina nods. "It really is. If you want a little extra cash or items in your pocket, check out Grizzco today, located to the left of the Battle Tower."

After that, the news turns back to normal. The inklings all around start taking in excited tones, each of them wondering what the jobs this 'Mr. Grizz' offered were. They weren't too eager to start though and most continued playing turf wars, only a few going over to the new building next to the Battle Tower.

Meanwhile, Ika turns his tv off. A thoughtful expression was on his face, and he was considering going to this new place. Marie, her expression as bored as ever, says "Isn't that interesting. Another way to get a ton of cash in this city."

Callie nods, her face slightly solemn. "Isn't it kinda bad that Inkopolis has so many ways to live easy, and Ceph City has to be underground and is limited by a few zapfish?"

Ika shrugs slightly, not exactly understanding the problem. "Well, they can always come here. With a super jump, the two cities aren't far apart. Maybe just a few minutes traveling."

Marie thinks about it, then shrugs as well. "I guess so." Callie just looks between the two slightly exasperated.

Ika looks at his sibling and cousin, then says "So, wanna go check it out?" Callie nods in excitement, while Marie shrugs indifferently.

The three get up and quickly grab their stuff. They walk out of the slightly rundown house and make their way back to the square.

It only takes a minute before the three find themselves back in the square. They look to their left and notice a small-ish building next to the Battle Tower. They walk over to it, eager to see what was inside.

The first thing they notice about the place were the large suits on the walls. They seemed like protective gear of some sorts. Judging from the rubber, it must be protection from ink or electricity.

"Three new employees? Word spreads fast here." Callie jumps at the sudden voice and Ika looks to his left. There, sitting on a counter, was some sort of sculpture of an animal. It looked like a bear, and a fish was in its mouth.

The bear suddenly shakes slightly and says "Name's Mr. Grizz, and I am your boss here. You three looking for work?"

They all look between each other, then nod. The bear shakes, then says "Good. I'll get you started right away."

A sudden pair of mechanical arms appear from the ceiling. They both lower a suit, and a third joins them. The three inklings grab the suits, looking at it in curiosity.

It consisted of a set of orange overalls, a white shirt underneath. They were also some green rubber gloves and boots.

Mr. Grizz then says "These are your uniforms. You must wear these at all times when on schedule. They are imperative to surviving."

Marie looks up from her suit and raises an eyebrow. "Survival?"

"Yes, survival. We will be fighting a race of barbarians called Salmonids. Heard of them?"

Ika shakes his head, but a flash of recognition goes in Callie's eyes. "Oh, I read about this when I was underground! They are a race of savage, self-aware salmons. They have the amazing ability to turn random junk into functioning ink weapons, sometimes being able to reverse engineer a scrap version of inkling weapons just by seeing them!"

Marie raises an eyebrow, a slight smile on her face. "You read down in the underground?"

Callie shrugs indifferently and says "I had nothing else to do. It's not like they had video games down there without any reliable power." Marie still looks at her cousin with a slightly amused expression, then shakes her head and turns back to Mr. Grizz.

When Mr. Grizz talks again, he seemed slightly amused. "It seems that one of you isn't quite a reader. Luckily, you don't have to read the employee manual." Callie suddenly pales at the thought of a manual.

The bear seems to hop slightly, then says "Give me a few seconds and I'll be right there. We can begin your training right away." The inklings nod, then sit back and wait.

After a few minutes, a door behind the counter opens. The three inklings look over in curiosity, then slight wonder at the figure. He was a typical inkling height, and he wore a gas mask-esque helmet that covered his whole head, blocking even his eyes. He also wore an old time sailor suit, and his hands were gloved. He also had on large boots typical of a ship captain.

The figure puts his hands in his suit's pockets and says "Name's Mr. Grizz. We've met before, correct?" The small joke makes the inklings chuckle slightly.

Mr. Grizz walks from behind the cabin, then waves for them to follow. "Come, we've got work to do." The trio nods, then follows Mr. Grizz through a door.

The door leads to a long hallway, dimly lit by the lamps above. Mr. Grizz suddenly stops and turns to the three inklings. He seems to eye them all, then says "I'd advise you to put on the suits I gave you." They look at the suits, then nod. They all three slip the suits over their clothing.

Mr. Grizz nods in satisfaction, then continues walking. After a couple minutes in the long hallway, they reach another door. Mr. Grizz opens it, and the three inklings look in slight awe at the sight behind the door.

The room was a large cavern, a lake in the middle. The water looked crystal blue, and a few boats with the Grizzco logo were on the water. The room also had various weapons and large piles of some sort of bags.

Mr. Grizz walks over to a set of four weapons. He gestures to them and says "Take what you like from these weapons. We'll be using them in the field." The three inklings look between each other.

Ika steps forwards and says "Wait, why are we fighting these salmonids anyways?"

Mr. Grizz nods, then says "Reasonable question. You see, the salmonids are not a threat on their own. A single squad of four can take down hundreds of the fish, but that isn't the problem. The problem is how fast the salmonids can reproduce. If left alone long, they can begin swarming Inkopolis, causing at the very least constant fighting on the outskirts of the city. Here at Grizzco, we serve to keep the salmonid levels down so this doesn't happen." Ika looks at Mr. Grizz for a bit, then nods. The explanation seemed reasonable.

Mr. Grizz then gestures to the weapons again and says "Here, pick a weapon of your choice from these four." He notices Callie open her mouth and says "We use my weapons because the salmonids are not affected by normal inkling or octarian ink. My weapons convert your ink into something that can harm them." Callie's mouth clamps shut.

The three inklings go over to the weapons and see their options. They had an inkbrush, a Splattershot, a Splat Roller, and a Splat Charger. Basic weapons, but they all had their main types. Ika took the brush, Callie the roller, and Marie the charger. Mr. Grizz grabs the Splattershot, then walks next to the weapon holder.

"Here, take a couple of these." He pushes a bucket out with his foot, and inside were some of the bags seen all over the cavern. Mr. Grizz grabs two of them and straps them onto his head with a wire. The other three look at the bags, wondering what they were for.

Seeing their confused expressions, Mr. Grizz decided to explain. "These bags have a special chemical in them that will activate a certain special within you. Now, these bags aren't harmful, unless used multiple times in rapid succession. As such, workers can only bring two bags on the shifts." The three inklings look at the bags in wonder, nodding numbly as they put the bags on their head.

Mr. Grizz then hands the three of them ink tanks, then says "Alright, you three ready to go?" They nod, each of them strapping the ink tanks to their back. Mr. Grizz waves them to follow, and they all four go to a boat.

Mr. Grizz goes over to a small console on the upper deck. He presses a button, and the walls on the cavern in front of them begin to open up. The three inklings watch in awe and surprise as they now see the ocean laid out in front of them. Mr. Grizz then pushes the throttle, and the boat begins to move.

The trio looks around, slightly surprised at the sights. Behind them was Inkopolis, situated slightly further back from the cliff they just emerged from. Beyond that was ocean, distant mountains, and oddly enough forms of debris.

After a couple minutes, Mr. Grizz says "We're coming up on a Salmonid Spawning Ground. Keep your eyes sharp for the little buggers." The inklings nod, looking around for anything.

As Ika searched, he then notices something with the water. It had changed from the dark crystal blue to a murky green color. The more he looked at it, the more he felt like he's seen this color change before.

"Hey, Mr. Grizz! Why is the water green?" Ika looks over and notices Callie asking the question. Seems like she noticed the change to.

Mr. Grizz doesn't look away from steering the boat, but he does answer. "That's a sign of the Salmonids being in the area. They produce a green slime that has similar properties to ink, allowing them to harm you with them. It's the slime that causes the water to turn green." Callie nods, looking at the water with slight nervousness now.

After a couple turns, the three of them can see their destination. They gaze in awe at the massive metal debris, a large metal tower in the center. Mr. Grizz stops the boat a few hundred feet from the shore line and says "We'll need to stop here. The tides can change quite drastically in these areas, and quite fast mind you, so I need to keep the boat far from the shore. We'll need to super jump over." The three inkling nods, then super jump to the tower.

The three of them re-emerge from their ink and notice with slight surprise that Mr. Grizz was already waiting for them. He spreads his arms out and says "Welcome to the ruins of Ark Polaris. This will be your training ground."

The three inkling are once again in awe. Now that they were on the tower, the metal debris around them seemed even more massive. It looked very futuristic to them, maybe even something from space.

Mr. Grizz walks over to the edge of the tower, then says "Looks like it'll be high tide. Keep your eyes sharp, the waves going to begin." The three inklings loko at each other in confusion, then look at the water. They gasp in surprise when they see the water rising rapidly, slowing down once reaching only a couple dozen feet below their standing positions.

Callie grips her roller tightly, looking around in fear. "I-Is it really ok for us to be here? What if that water rose to where we are standing?" The other two inkling, after hearing this, suddenly grow worried.

Mr. Grizz waves them off and says "No need to worry. The water never rises more than what you see here. Also, those ink tanks a gave you are more than ink tanks. If you get splatted or fall in the water, the tank will act as a life saver. If one of your teammates shoots you with ink, you'll respawn. I can also automatically call us back to the boat if we need to." Callie looks back at her ink tank, noticing for the first time how it did look like a life saver. Her nervousness doesn't go away, but it does fade a bit.

Suddenly, a loud horn is heard from the boat. The trio looks over, wondering why the boat did that, when Mr. Grizz says "That's an automated system I have in all my boats. It'll tell us when a boss Salmonid is coming."

Marie tilts her head in confusion. "Boss Salmonid?"

Mr. Grizz nods, scanning the water. "Yes, a boss Salmonid. They are either specially hatched Salmonids, or Salmonids equipped with extremely powerful weapons. They are what we are looking for…"

Then, just as he finishes speaking, a loud splash is heard. Everyone's gaze snaps to the right and Mr. Grizz chuckles grimly. "There we go. It's a Steelhead!"

The three inklings step back in shock at the size of the Salmonid. It was at least quadruple any of their size, and it was covered in metal scrap. It had some sort of device in its mouth, and a large machine on its head.

The Steelhead looks at them, gazing at Mr. Grizz last. It narrows its eyes and suddenly emits a loud noise. Then, just as sudden as the noise, a massive bomb appears on its head.

Mr. Grizz steps back slightly, then says "Off to the side, now!" The three inklings don't need any more encouragement and run to the side. The Steelhead throws the bomb forwards, not going very far. Once the bomb lands, it begins to spin and glow, then bursts in a massive slime explosion.

The trio of inklings look at the blast radius in surprise. Marie grits her beak, then says "If we keep that thing here for long, it'll coat the whole area in that slime!"

Mr. Grizz picks himself up off the ground, shaking his head slightly as he does so. He looks back to the Steelhead as he hears it emit the familiar sound of it making a bomb. He turns to Marie and says "Shoot the bomb with your charger while it's on its head!"

Marie nods, then takes aim with her charger. The Steelhead seems to notice her aiming and goes to throw the bomb, when Marie lets go of the trigger. A beam of ink shoots out at incredible speeds, hitting the bomb dead on. The bomb explodes, instantly taking down the Steelhead. All that was left was a massive pool of green ink and… three golden orbs?

Mr. Grizz, seeing the orbs, chuckles to himself. "Now there we go, that's what we are looking for." He pulls out a device and presses a button on it. A hatch in the middle of the platform opens up, and a large containment device pops up.

The three inklings watch in confusion as their boss grabs all three of the orbs and throws them into the device. Ika tilts his head and says "What are you doing? What are those things?"

Mr. Grizz wipes some of the residue ink off of his gloves and says "Those are golden Salmonid eggs. They are what we are here for. If you beat a Boss Salmonid, they will drop three eggs. You need to get a certain amount per wave in order to complete your shift successfully."

The three look between each other, the same question going through their heads. Ika goes to voice the question, when a lot of splashing is heard. Along with that, the boat blasts its horn again.

The squad of four lowers their weapons, ready to fire. The three relatives look around, searching for the Salmonids. Then, a sudden noise hits their ears. Grunting, and a lot of it.

They look forwards to a ramp leading to the water. A single creature moves out from behind the wall. It looked like a chubby salmon with a set of overalls on. It was holding a frying pan coated in the green slime.

Marie lowers her charger, chuckling at the little creature. "Is that all? This'll be a piece of cake." Marie takes aim at the little fish, ready to get this over with. Then, another fish appears. Then another.

Marie lowers her charger again as more and more salmonids begin appearing, all of them following the first one. Ika looks over to Marie with a deadpan expression and says "That's what you get for celebrating too early." Marie just grunts and aims her charger. The two siblings take that as a sign to begin fighting.

Callie and Ika run forwards to meet the swarm of salmonids head on. Callie rolls over most of them, Ika and Marie picking off the remaining fish. Callie grins and goes to turn the corner leading to the water line, when she bumps into something. She tumbles back, landing on her bottom. She shakes her head, then looks up. Her ears lower and her eyes go wide as she sees a massive salmonid with a mohawk.

Ika's eyes widen as he sees the thing. "Hey, that's the same thing that attacked us when we found Daniel!" Marie's eyes widen as she recognizes the creature as well.

The creature roars, then brings up its frying pan. Callie tries to scramble back, but she knew she wouldn't make it. She throws up her arms as a desperate but futile form of defense. She hears the whistling of the pan being brought down, then _BANG._

Callie flinches as ink splatters on her. She cracks an eye open, then looks in surprise as the massive salmonid was gone, green ink in its place. Ika runs over and helps his sister to her feet, his expression worried. "Are you alright?"

Callie nods numbly, then looks back to her cousin. Marie flashes her a thumbs up, a small smile on her face. Callie grins and flashes her own thumbs up.

Mr. Grizz walks over, three more eggs in his possession. He throws them into the basket and looks at the two siblings. "That was awfully close there. You'll have to be more careful in the future." The siblings nod, an embarrassed blush on Callie's face.

Mr. Grizz pulls out a tablet, looking at the screen intensely. "Alright, we still need 9 more eggs. Let's see what comes out." The three inklings nod, looking around for more swarms of Salmonids.

The boat's horn blares out again, and a sudden screeching is heard. Mr. Grizz perks up at the noise, his posture tense. "It's the golden one..." He instantly begins running to where he heard the noise, the other inklings following.

The three of them stop at the edge of the platform, looking down at the water. Their eyes widen in surprise as they see a slightly larger salmonid come from the water. It was golden in color and had glowing white eyes. It seemed to wear a tunic of some sorts, and its pan had a golden salmonid design on it.

The golden salmonid looks around, then emits the same screech as before. The three inklings flinch slightly at the noise. It was eerie and sounded unnatural, the sound echoing across the area.

Mr. Grizz raises his Splattershot, taking aim at the golden salmonid. He clicks the trigger, but nothing happens. He tries a few more times, then looks at his ink supply. "Shit, I ran out of ink."

The golden salmonid perks up at the clicking noise, turning to see what caused it. When it sees four inklings there, one of them wearing a captain's outfit, it shrieks loudly. Grunting follows the shrieks and a swarm of salmonids pop out of the water, small and large.

Mr. Grizz looks at the swarm as they begin moving their way up to the platform. He looks at the other inklings and says "Now may be a good time to use your specials. Remember, you only have two." They nod, watching as Mr. Grizz grabs one of the bags. The other three grab one of their bags, tearing it open.

Inside was a greenish-blue substance, swishing slowly like ink. Callie looks at it in disgust, looking between her relatives. They are looking at the substance with similar disgust, and a little suspicion.

Mr. Grizz doesn't hesitate though and poors the substance down the small opening in the front of his mask. He wipes the ink off of his gasmask, the sudders. A bright blue glow appears from the goggles, and the inklings are finally able to see his eyes. They were black with blue irises, and they were glaring at the salmonids. The three inklings look between each other in surprise, the eyes taking them off guard.

Mr. Grizz suddenly flips over and a stingray is in his hands. He looks at the salmonids, aiming the weapon at the swarm that was just now getting on the platform. The golden salmonid raises its pan and emits a shriek, the salmonids behind it doing likewise. They begin running forwards quickly, obviously encouraged by the golden one's warcry.

Mr. Grizz presses his finger on the stingray's trigger, and the beam of ink blasts forwards. It begins to grow in intensity, taking out numerous salmonids. The golden salmonid, feeling the power of the beam, begins to move out of the way. Mr. Grizz tries to follow, but the stingray caused him to turn slowly. The weapon expires before he can get golden salmonid.

Mr. Grizz curses and goes for the other bag, when a sudden splash is heard. He turns to look at what caused it, and gasps when he sees a salmonid jumping high above the water. It lands on the platform and jumps at Mr. Grizz. Mr. Grizz aims his Splattershot, shooting some ink on the fish. It grunts in pain, but doesn't stop its charge. Just as it is about to get splatted, it throws its pan. Being so close, Mr. Grizz had no time to react. The pan slams into the other bag, bursting it open and spilling the contents on the ground.

Mr. Grizz stares at the spilt liquid numbly, then back at the massive swarm. He backs up slightly, saying. "If you guys can use your specials, now would be the time." The other inklings look at the liquid, then at the swarm.

Ika turns the bag slightly and notices that it had a picture. It showed and inkling slamming its hand into the ground, ink surrounding it in a wave. Ika smiles grimly as he recognizes the picture.

He quickly downs the liquid, shivering at the bitter and cold taste. He suddenly feels a sharp pain in his stomach, and then a rush of energy. His hand begins to get covered in ink, and then a ball of energized ink forms in his hands.

Ika runs forwards, his cousin and sister watching with wide eyes. Callie goes to run after him, when she feels a hand on her shoulder. She turns and sees Marie shaking her head, her hand on Callie's shoulder. Callie grits her beak, turning back to Ika. She could only watch in worry.

The salmonids instantly notice Ika running at them. The golden salmonid shrieks again and charges at Ika, the rest of the swarm following. Ika grins as he sees just what he wanted.

The second the swarm is only a few feet in front of him, Ika jumps to the air. The salmonids stop charging and watch the airborne inkling, waiting for him to fall. They all even looked eager at the thought of Ika being splatted.

Ika brings his hand down, angling himself to the ground. He suddenly shoots forwards, hitting the ground almost instantly. The salmonids had no time to react before the ink slams into their bodies, instantly splatting them. Even the golden salmonid was splatted.

Ika picks himself up, then blinks as he sees a golden egg fall in front of his face. He looks around and notices that there were a lot of the eggs, maybe ten of them.

Mr. Grizz, Callie, and Marie all run over once they see the salmonids get splatted. Callie throws herself onto Ika and says "Don't EVER do that again, ok?! I don't want to see you hurt!"

Ika smiles sheepishly, saying "Sorry. I didn't know what else to do."

Marie smirks and punches him lightly on the shoulder. "You gave me quite the scare as well. You're lucky I realized what you were doing, or else Callie might've bulldozered you." Ika gulps at the thought, Callie giggling with a smug look on her face.

Mr. Grizz watches the exchange with his hands behind his back. After the three finish talking, he says "Alright you three, let's get those eggs in the basket, then we can head back to Inkopolis." They nod, each of them grabbing three eggs. Mr. Grizz grabs the last egg, and they all throw the eggs into the basket. It dings, a green light going off, and Mr. Grizz nods in satisfaction. "Quota met. Let's get back to the boat."

The three inklings turn into squids, compressing, then jumping back to the boat. They emerge from their respective ink puddles, and are surprised to see Mr. Grizz waiting for them again.

They turn away from Mr. Grizz, slightly freaked out. Callie puts a hand up next to her mouth to try and block the noise and whispers "How does he do that?" Ika and Marei shrugs, similarly perplexed.

The trip back to Inkopolis was an uneventful, but short trip. They reach the cavern in only a couple minutes, and all three inklings were eager to get the suits off. The second they reach normal ground, they take off the suits, returning them, the weapons, and the life-saver ink tanks to Mr. Grizz.

After Mr. Grizz puts the items back, they all make their way back to the lobby of Grizzco. Once they reach the lobby, Mr. Grizz stands back behind his counter. Putting his hands behind his back, he says "I thank you for your assistance today. I hope to see you again in the future."

Ika smiles and says "I'm certain you will." Mr. Grizz nods, the same thoughts going through his head. He then looks outside the door and sees a long line of inklings, all of them eager to try out the new 'Salmon Run' by Grizzco.

The three inklings turn to the door, blinking in surprise as they see the line of inklings. Mr. Grizz rubs his temple and sighs loudly. "I have my work cut out for me. Time to get the manuals."

Ika, Callie, and Marie all laugh as they see Mr. Grizz suddenly slump over and walk to the back room. The other inklings all outside look at each other when they hear the word 'manual'. Was this a good idea? They all shrug, then regain their eagerness. It must be a good idea, the Squid Sisters did it!

Ika, Callie, and Marie all exit the building. Many inklings give greetings to the Squid Sisters, and quite a few looked between Callie and Ika curiously. Ika frowns, beginning to walk quickly. The Squid Sisters notice and say goodbye to their fans, running to catch up with Ika.

They walk in silence back to Ika's house. Ika had his hands in his pockets, a blank expression on his face. Callie and Marie look at him in worry, then at each other. A silent message goes between them, and they nod.

After they all reach Ika's house, they all sit on the couch. Ika pulls out his phone and begins messing with it, while the Squid Sisters look at him in worry.

Callie shifts, then says "Ika?" Ika puts down his phone, then looks up at his sister. "Yeah?"

Callie looks at Marie, who nods. Callie turns back to Ika and says "We saw how you reacted to people taking notice of you. We think it might be time to announce your relation to us in public."

Ika's eyes widen, and he growls slightly. "You promised me you wouldn't do that!"

Callie nods fervently, her eyes slightly tearing up. "I-I know, but you can't just avoid the public eye like you are. Someone will find out sooner or later, unless you decide to avoid us all together!"

Ika goes to refute, then stops. He thinks on what Callie said, not really ever thinking about it like that. If he really wanted to avoid the public, he'd have to avoid Callie and Marie too.

Marie, noticing that Ika was thinking about the statement and not blowing up like most people would, decides to say her own two cents. "In essence, you have to choose between your preferences, or your family."

Ika flinches slightly as hears Marie's argument. He didn't want to admit it, but that was how it was in basic terms. He turns away, trying to get his wild thoughts back into control.

Callie and Marie notice his turmoil and decide to leave. Ika hears their footsteps and his eyes widen. "Wait!"

The two cousins stop moving, turning back to Ika. Ika looks at them, his mouth open. He closes it, gritting his beak, his eyes shut tight. He opens his mouth again and reluctantly says "I-I… I'll let you do it. I can't stay hidden forever."

The Squid Sisters' eyes widen at that. Callie grins and begins cheering, while Marie just smiles at her cousin with pride. Ika just watches his sister's joy, and he instantly knows he made the right choice.

**-Author Notes-**

**Sorry about how long this chapter took. A lot of school events just happened on Friday, and I had no time to finish. But now that the events are beginning to end, I can go back to a normal schedule. Hope you enjoyed, and have a fun Splatfest!**


	51. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50**

It's been one hour since Ika decided to make his presence known to the public. During that time, Callie and Marie managed to convince the news studio to let them join in on the news within the next few minutes. The whole city would be getting quite the surprise today.

The familiar jingle of Off the Hook rings out through the city and all the inklings stop what they were doing. Even the octolings, new with Inkopolis or familiar with its workings, decide to stop and watch the large screens.

The screen switches over to the news studio where Pearl and Marina are sitting in their chairs. "You know what time it is." "It's Off the Hook coming at you live from Inkopolis Square."

Pearl turns to Marina and says "Hey 'Rina, don't we have a big announcement to make today?"

Marina nods. "Yes we do!" Turning to the camera, she smiles widely and says "We have a couple guests for this news program, two inklings I am sure you ALL know, even the Octarians!"

The inklings and octolings all look around. The list of guests was pretty slim for the guests to be inklings that even octarians would know. They all turn back to the screens, wondering who the guests were.

Pearl and Marina gesture to the side and say "Please welcome the Squid Sisters!" The inklings and octolings all look at the screen in disbelief. But once Callie and Marie did walk into the studio, the city erupted in cheering. No matter the age, everyone remembered the Squid Sisters.

Callie grins and waves at the camera wildly, while Marie was much more calm in her waving. Callie shifts on her feet slightly, her grin wide. "Hello everyone! It's so nice to be here!"

Marie nods in agreement. "It sure is. But, we aren't here to chat."

Callie shakes her head and says "Nope! We have a big announcement for everyone!"

The inklings once again begin murmuring in curiosity, wondering what the announcement was. It must be big if the Squid Sisters needed to say it.

Callie turns to her right and gestures to someone. Soon after, another inkling walks into the camera's view. He had jet-black tentacles that ended in red spots. His eyes were a piercing gold color with plus-shaped pupils in them. His tentacles also seemed a bit long for a male inkling.

The various inklings begin talking in hushed tones when they see the newcomer. Who was this inkling, and why was he there?

Callie pats the inkling's back and says "The announcement is about this awesome inkling here." The inkling just facepalms and says "Get this over with Callie."

Callie shrugs, then turns to the camera again. "Alright, no messing around. This here… is my brother Ika."

The previous murmuring instantly erupts into confused tones and discussions. Marie, seeing the small riot outside the studio, says "I'm sure you all have questions, so let us explain."

Marie, her smiles suddenly gone, says "Ika here never like being in the public eye. Because of this, he asked us to never announce his presence or relation with us in public. We've done a pretty good job so far, no?"

Callie nods and says "We've kept him a secret for a long time because he wanted it. But lately, more and more inklings have been noticing the similarities between him and me."

Some inklings, even a couple octolings, nod at that sentence. They did see the inkling with the Squid Sisters quite often, and the resemblance between Callie and him were uncanny.

Callie goes to speak more, but Ika raises a hand. "Callie, stop. I'll finish this. It was my choice after all." Callie nods and steps back.

Ika turns to the camera and says "As said, people were noticing how I looked quite similar to Callie. It was only a matter of time before someone made the connection and announced without our consent. So, we decided to announce it ourselves before anyone else could."

Marie nods and says "We hope you all keep his interests in heart. He really prefers to be alone, so if you could, please don't swarm him." Most of the inklings at least had the decency to blush in embarrassment.

Callie and Marie bow, Ika following suite. "Thank you for your time. Pearl, Marina, you can go back to the stage rotations now."

The pop duo nods, watching as the trio of Calamarian inklings leave. After they leave, the news goes back to normal. But, after the bombshell just laid onto Inkopolis, most inklings were thinking of Ika, not the stages.

One inkling turns to the studio and notices the Squid Sisters and Ika walking out. "Look, there they are!"

The inklings all turn, then cheer in excitement. They begin walking or running to the Squid Sisters, eager to see their idols. But then, they see something they haven't seen before.

Callie and Marie suddenly got a disappointed look on their face. They were shaking their heads, standing in front of Ika slightly. Ika himself didn't look different, but his posture was tense.

The crowd looks at each other, then slowly begins to realize the problem. They all begin to back away, each of them with their heads down. They just disappointed their idols, and that felt worse than anything else.

The Squid Sisters watch as the crowd disperses, leaving the three inklings some room. Callie drops her disappointed expression and breathes out a sigh of relief. "You know, being famous does have its perks." Marie nods in agreement. There were SOME things that being famous was good for.

Marie was about to say something, when she notices something odd. Three octolings were in the square as a group. This normally wouldn't be anything strange, but they all were wearing the standard octoling armor. The one in the front had dark purple, almost black, tentacles, seaweed drifting lightly in the wind from them.

Marie taps on Ika's shoulder, causing him to turn to the group. The three inklings watch the group of octolings, looking for anything suspicious.

One of the octolings turns to them, and her mouth opens in surprise. She taps the shoulder of the elite and points to them. The elite turns, then nods when she sees the trio of inklings. Marie's body tenses instinctively and she says "We have company."

The inklings in the square seemed to stay away from the group of octolings. The armor and official look of the group made them all cautious. Some of the inklings look to the octolings in the square, wondering what was happening.

The octolings all bow to the small group. The elite doesn't respond back, causing some of the octolings to grow worried. The only reason an elite, or even normal soldiers, would not bow back to others was if the mission they were on was urgent.

The trio of octolings stop in front of the pop trio. The elite looks between them, her eyes landing on Marie. She clicks a device on her ear, one that Marie recognizes as the translators Marina made. "Marie, number 2, we need to talk. This is an urgent request from King Octavio himself."

Marie nods, recognizing the small code for her. Since her agent name was Agent 2, but she wasn't in disguise, number 2 was their best bet. "Alright. Octo Canyon?" The elite nods.

The trio of octolings turns and begins walking back to the grate leading to Octo Canyon. The inklings and octolings watch with curiosity or worry, some turning to the trio of inklings. The three agents walk briskly to the grate. It only takes a few moments before they disappear into the pipe.

The three inklings, now yellow in color, shake the ink off of them. They all had their agent gear on, along with their hero weapons. Ika even had the Octobrush Remix that Kai gave him.

Callie pulls down her hypnoshades, shuttering slightly as they take effect. She was able to control their personality change slightly, but she was still very sassy, like an outspoken and energized Marie.

Ika and Marie pull up their respective half-face masks, Ika pulling down his own shades. He shakes more violently than Callie due to wearing the shades only three times now, but he didn't have to deal with the personality change.

Marie looks at the trio of octolings all waiting for them. "What's the issue elite?"

The elite looks at Marie and says "We've had a breach in security and Octavio thought it would be best to grab the first available agents we could find. We're lucky all three of you are here."

Suddenly, a door opening is heard behind them. "Come on Cap'n, just one more?"

Cap'n Cuttlefish shakes his head at the begging octoling. "No can do Agent 8. You've had too many and you don't have the same metabolism that I do."

Octari sighs in defeat, Octavia patting her shoulder reassuringly. Amber just snickers behind them, munching on a crabby cake.

The three inkling agents turn to the group of four, taking in their appearances. Amber had on her typical Agent 3 outfit, her inhibitor bracelet still on her wrist. Octari was wearing what looked like her old outfit, the one she wore in the metro, but more sturdy and having the color scheme of the agent suits. She also had on agent boots and gloves in replacement of the fingerless gloves from before and her heeled boots. Her tentacles, previously red with blue tips, were now just red. It seemed the temporary sanitization wore off. Cap'n looked exactly the same as when he found that old jumpsuit.

The biggest change was Octavia. Her clothing was the same as Octari's, except her shirt covered her midriff and the skirt was replaced with shorts. Her skin was still green, but now multiple splotches of peach could be seen everywhere. Her tentacles also had less blue in them, most of them now red in color. Her eyes were now a more gray-ish color than black, but her green irises seemed to glow with life.

Cap'n shakes his head and turns forwards. He blinks in surprise, looking between the two trios of people. "What in the… when did you six get here?!"

The two octolings with Cap'n gasp slightly at the sudden presence of six people. Amber just takes another bite of her crabby cake, already having seen the six people.

The elite octoling steps up and bows to Octari. "Commander Octari, what an honor it is to see you again."

Octari bows as well. The two octolings straighten up, and Octari chuckles nervously. "I-I'm sorry, but I don't remember your name. My amnesia is still cuasing some issues."

The elite nods, already being debriefed of Octari's condition by Kai. "That is fine, but we could use your help. In fact, any help we can get is greatly appreciated."

The two octolings and Amber look between each other. Amber and Octari grow serious, while Octavia looked worried. Amber steps up and says "What's the issue."

The elite turns to Amber, almost instantly recognizing the hero suit and yellow tentacles. "Agent 3! This is quite the lucky streak. Anyways, the issue was a breach in our security. An unknown group has broken our most recent criminal, Konton Colosso, out of prison."

The elite presses a button on her shades, and a holographic image pops up. It seemed to be a recording of some sorts. The agents all watch with rapt attention at the recording.

As the recording plays, the elite says "Konton Colosso was arrested two days ago for not only assaulting a general, but also trying to steal King Octavio's mech."

The recording flickers some, and suddenly the image showed two guards bringing Konton to a cell. Konton was wearing a large set of orange and black prisoner clothing, and his hands were bound by the water wire. The guards instantly Konton into his cell.

Ika raises an eyebrow as he sees Konton go into the cell without any resistance. "He doesn't seem to be putting up a fight like I thought he would."

The elite nods. "We are similarly perplexed. Based on reports, he would try to fight his way out the second he had a chance, believing his massive size was an unstoppable force. But, he has been very submissive within the prison, often sulking in his cell or sitting alone."

The recording flickers again, and the agents notice that it had skipped ahead a few hours. It now seemed to be night, due to the artificial lights outside the prison now gone. Konton was laying in his bed, staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, he raises himself slightly, looking around. "Who's the-"

The audio cuts out suddenly, and the agents all become suspicious. The elite nods to herself and says "This was the first clue that something was wrong. The audio had never cut out like that before, so someone had to of tampered with it."

With no audio, the agents had to look at Konton's body language for any context. Konton suddenly gets up out of his bed, his body tense. He was looking around rapidly, constantly shifting position. His body was in a fighting stance, and his eyes seemed wide.

Then, a sudden glow appears in the bottom left corner. Konton notices the glow and turns to it, but then backs up rapidly. As the source of the glow approaches the camera's view, the recording begins to fill with static.

The screen suddenly becomes only static, and the agents all look at the screen with worry or suspicion. The static begins to clear up, and the glow is seen leaving the screen. The cell door was wide open, and Konton wasn't anywhere on the screen.

The agents all begin mumbling to themselves as the elite turns the holograph off, wondering what happened. The elite turns to the agents and says "As you can see, this wasn't a normal escape. Something, as much as I hate to say it, something supernatural seemed to occur. I am sure there is an explanation, but it still isn't normal."

The agents nods, their thoughts close to the elite's. Marie steps up and says "Can you bring us to the place this all happened?"

The elite nods and says "Of course. Agents, please follow me to Cephalon HQ." The trio of octolings turn into octopi, then super jump away. The agents quickly follow suite, close behind the octoling troops.

They all land on the hub in Cephalon HQ. The inklings all back up rapidly from the pool of ink below them, but the octolings were unfazed by it. They all make their way to the large kettle in the center of the area, all of them going in one at a time.

After they all make it to Ceph City, the elite begins walking to a side road. The agents all hurry to catch up, some having more success than others.

The octolings along the way all bow to the passing group, recognizing the elite and Octari. Some did notice Octavia and looked at her in wonder. One old couple, almost as old as Octavio, stared at her with wide eyes. Octavia could swear they looked like they saw a ghost.

Octavia grips her Hero Brella tightly, her nerves beginning to get the better of her. Octari notices her tense posture and puts hand on her shoulder reassuringly. Octavia smiles at the comfort Octari was giving her.

After a few minutes, the group finds themselves outside what was obviously a prison. The elite opens the door and enters, the group following close behind.

A soldier inside, obviously a normal grunt, notices them instantly. He about to stop them, but then notices the elite and Octari. He hastily bows to the group, the elite only giving a small nod in return.

It takes a few moments, but soon the group finds themselves in an oddly familiar part of the prison. The elite gestures to the cell and says "This is the cell Konton was held in."

Marie nods and goes to open the door. The elite's eyes widen and she says hurriedly "No, don't touch that!"

Marie's hand stops just inches from the door's handle. The elite fishes something out of her pack, then tosses them to Marie. Marie raises an eyebrow when she sees they are gloves.

The elite notices her confusion and says "The bars, including the door handle, have thin water on them. It's how we keep prisoners from simply slipping through the bars. Those gloves will protect your hands."

Marie nods and slips the gloves on. She grabs the handle, then opens the door. She steps inside, Callie and Ika following close behind. Octari goes to follow, but Amber puts a hand in front of them. When the octoling turns to her in confusion, Amber says "Let them do it. Too many people could tamper with any clues." Octari nods in understanding, then steps back.

The three relatives look around the cell, searching for any clues to who could've taken Konton. Callie looks around at the walls and ceiling, trying to see find any ink splotches or disturbances in the symmetry in the walls. So far, she wasn't seeing anything.

Marie was looking at the camera, then down at the hallway. She began lining herself up with the camera, trying to figure out where Konton was in the recording. She eventually finds his position and begins looking around where Konton backed up too.

Ika got on his knees and began looking at Konton's bed. The sheets were still unmade, obviously untouched since Konton disappeared. Ika began sifting through them, looking for any sort of clues to who took Konton.

He drags his hand, then gasps and flinches back. He grips his hand tightly, his pointer finger's tip red and slightly droopy. Ika carefully grabs the sheet, then pulls it off the bed. He gasps when he sees a small pool of a clear liquid in the back of the bed. A tinge of red, obviously from Ika's finger, was in it.

Ika doesn't turn from the puddle and says "Guys, I think I found something." Callie and Marie turn to him, then run over. Callie stands over Ika's shoulder, looking at the puddle with caution.

Marie's eyes narrow as she peers closely at the liquid. "Water." She notices the red within it and turns to Ika. He was gripping his finger and she could see that it was still slightly inky. "_Must've touched it by accident."_

Marie turns back to the water, then looks around slightly. She takes in the position of the puddle, putting up a mental map of the room based on the recording's angle. After a little bit of thinking, she says "This is roughly the same area that Konton was at before the static was cut. Someone must've cut the water band off of his wrists, spilling the water here."

Callie nods, her own eyes searching the bed. Her eyes widen when she notices something on the wall, close to the water puddle. "Marie, look!"

Callie points at what she saw, her cousin and brother turning to investigate. Marie's eyes widen when she notices the thing Callie saw "Scratch marks, and deep ones too."

Ika leans closer to the scratches. "They seem to be a few hours old. It was obviously something sharp and long, but the position of this fifth scratch" Ika points to a scratch at a slightly different angle and height to the other scratches. "Was obviously a thumb scratch. This was at least someone with a normal hand, presumably with fake or real claws.

Callie and Marie nod in agreement. They look around, searching for any more clues. While those two went to search the room again, Ika began examining the scratch marks more closely. "_I need a tell of if these were made by real or fake claws. Fake could be anyone, but real would let us have a lead."_

After looking at the marks, Ika curses in defeat. "_These are too smooth to be real claws. Real claws would have little tick marks in the marks from peeled bits. These are obviously made of a sturdy material, maybe metal."_

Ika sighs and gets back up. He looks at his finger and smiles slightly as he sees the ink completely compressed back into his skin. He turns to his relatives and says "Anything else?"

Callie and Marie shake their heads, not finding anything.

The three exit the cell and Ika turns to the elite. "We found a small set of deep scratch marks, along with a small puddle of water on the bed. We believe that whoever helped Konton escape used a set of fake claws to break open the water binds."

The elite doesn't respond, simply turning down the hallway. "We do have one last place to check. Only the camera viewing this cell was disrupted, meaning that the assailant more than likely came from the window right there."

The elite points to a small window next to the cell. Ika scans the walls, searching for anything. He doesn't see anything at first, but then Octavia gasps. "Hey, I think I see something."

She runs over to the window, standing on her toes to reach up. She grunts slightly, then yanks something from the bars. She looks it, then says "It looks like a tag of some sorts. It says 'Octo Valley Weapons and Uniforms'."

She looks up at the elite and says "Does that mean anything to you?"

The elite nods. "That is the old factory Chancellor Octavius used to supply his war effort when we were stationed in Octo Valley."

The elite goes over and asks for the tag. Octavia hands it over to the elite, and the octoling inspects it. She nods and says "This is definitely the same tag. Whoever did this must've worn a suit made by this company."

She turns to the group and says "Our best bet is to check this place out." She turns to her soldiers and says "Otome, Madison, stay here and search for anymore clues or leads. We'll need everything we can get." The soldiers bow, then salute. They instantly go back into the cell, searching high and low for any clues.

Ika goes over and looks at the tag. He presses a button on his communicator, a screen popping up. He types in the name, and a dot appears on the map. He grins and says "Alright guys, let's do this."

The agents all nod, eager to begin the next challenge. They begin to trickle out of the prison, making their way to the kettle leading to Cephalon HQ's hub.

After everyone reaches the hub, they all look at their screens as Ika inputs the coordinates. With multiple super jumps, they fly into the air, ready for the search to really begin.

**-Author Notes-**

**Somehow I am making chapters longer than I originally plan... Oh well, it's still fun. Hope you all enjoyed!**


	52. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51**

Octo Valley was a large valley located on the outskirts of Inkopolis. It was mostly barren, other than the odd octopus-tentacle shaped rocks giving the valley its name. A few floating platforms serving as the hubs to the underground domes littered the valley.

Seven trails of ink suddenly appear in the sky of Octo Valley. They all were aimed for a large cliff shelf in the valley. They all hit the ground at roughly the same time, and the ink takes the shapes of their users.

The agents look around at the barren land around them. The sound of rushing water and various animals hit their ears, but the place was not well maintained.

Ika looks over to his left and notices his grandpa's old hut. It seemed to be in good condition, but small vines were inching their way up the walls.

The other agents also begin to look around the valley, while the elite just looks on with a solemn look. Octari goes to the edge and peers down. She gulps as she sees the massive drop and quickly backs up from the edge.

Amber had her arms crossed as she looks at the kettle hub. The various floating platforms were cracked, and some were missing all together. She turns slightly to the elite and says "What happened here? This place looks like a dump."

The elite walks over and looks around, much more solemnly than Amber. "After you defeated Octavio, we all abandoned Octo Valley. It was never much more than a military station. Octo Canyon was our real home."

The elite brushes a long tentacle from her eyes and looks around more closely. She takes in the state of the floating platforms, watching as a small piece crumbles away right before her eyes. "Judging from the poor conditions of the platforms, this place has run out of power, and for a good while. At this point, these platforms are only floating from residue power within them."

Amber grimaces and as she sees a piece of stone fall from the platform. She looks down and eyes the drop with nothing short of worry. "Best we keep this quick then. We don't want to have these fall down when we are on them." The elite nods in agreement.

Amber turns to the octoling and says "By the way, what's your name? I never did catch it."

The octoling nods and says "My name is Sergeant Octema." Amber smiles and says "Nice to meet you Octema." Octema just bows in return.

Amber and Octema's ears perk up as they hear movement coming to them. They turn and see the agents all walking up to them. Marie looks at Octema and says "So, where is this 'Octo Valley Weapons and Uniforms' place anyways?"

Octema presses a button on her shades and the holographic screen appears again. It shows five kettle hubs, similar to Octo Canyon. Octema points at the bottom right hub and says "It is located within the Octo Valley Military Camp within this hub."

Everyone looks at the coordinates and nod. Marie turns back to Octema and says "Anything else we need to know?" Octema shakes her head.

Marie nods and turns to the other agents. "Be sure to stay put when we land. We don't want any splats here."

Amber nods, her arms crossed. "Especially since Octema here said that this place has no power."

Marie turns around and raises an eyebrow. "Octema? Who's Octema?" Amber points a thumb at the elite. Marie nods and turns back to the agents.

"Everyone have their coordinates?" The agents nod. Marie smiles under mask and says "Alright, let's go." Seven trails of ink fly off the cliff shelf, angling for a secluded part of the valley.

They all land on the hub at about the same time. The ink takes the shapes of the inklings and octolings. Their eyes narrow or widen in worry as a low rumble is heard through the area, not loud enough to be a sign of danger, but certainly hearable.

Octema straightens herself from her tensed position and looks at the platforms. These were just as bad as the ones in Area 1, so they had to be cautious. She turns to the agents and says "I'll take the lead. Watch your step, and be sure not to apply too much pressure to the platforms. They could break otherwise."

The agents follow the elite forwards. They all grimace or flinch when the platform would creak, or a piece of stone would fall from the higher ones.

After what felt like an eternity, but was just a minute or two, the group finds themselves in front of a large kettle. Octema inspects the kettle some, searching for something. She nods when she sees a green light on the side of the kettle, indicating it was active. She turns to the agents and says "Let's go."

Octema jumps into the kettle without another word. The other agents quickly follow suite, not wanting to be left behind.

Once they all pop out of the kettle, they look around in slight awe. The area they were in looked like a giant field. There were various metal buildings everywhere, and what looked like a factory in the back of the cavern. A chain fence surrounded the area, a gate at the end of the road the kettle was on.

While the agents looked around with curiosity and wonder, Octema's eyes narrow. She saw something that didn't fit the previous abandoned feel. "I think I may have found our culprit."

The other agents look back to Octema, then at what she was pointing to. The factory in the distance had its lights on. It didn't take them long to realize that shouldn't be the case in a seemingly abandoned area.

The other agents instantly grab their weapons and begin moving forwards, their eyes trained on the factory. They reach the gate of the facility and look around, wondering how to get in. Octema goes to the gate and, putting her gloves on, tries pushing it open. The gate doesn't budge.

Octema takes her gloves off, looking around for a way to get in. "The gate is locked, and that proves that someone is here."

When the agents look at her with confused expressions, she explains. "It's protocol to lock the gate when this camp is being used. If not used, or in our sense abandoned, we keep the gate unlocked for easy access. We never stored valuables here, so it was a safe practice."

Octema looks at the fence and the factory beyond the chained walls. "The fence has the same water coating as the bars in the prison, so that isn't an option. I wonder, where did Kai say that secret entrance was?"

Octari looks at Octema, then up at the large amount of space between the fence and the ceiling. She walks up to the fence and looks up, the other agents watching with confusion and curiosity. She closes her eyes, and her legs suddenly turn red. Ika blinks in surprise, then awe as Octari jumps a few dozen feet off the ground, easily going over the fence and landing on the other side.

"Hey Octema, I got in!" Octema stops her search and instantly turns around. Her eyes widen in surprise when she sees Octari waving from beyond the fence.

"How did you get in there?!" Octari shrugs and says "I jumped over."

Octema's mouth drops open slightly, and she looks between the 15 foot tall fence, and Octari. "But… we have a shield situated around the fence that stops anyone in their squid or octopus forms from entering. That was how we stopped super jumps!"

Octari suddenly perks up in realization. "Oh, is that the problem? Well, that's fine then." She lifts her leg up and shows as it turns slightly red with ink. "I didn't have to turn into an octopus to jump over. I just made my legs springy!"

She demonstrates her point by jumping up and over the fence again without turning into an octopus. Octema just gapes at her with eyes wide enough to be seen from beyond the shades.

Octema suddenly coughs and regains her disciplined posture. She then says "Well, that is certainly a useful ability. May you explain?"

Octari nods and says "Amb-" Amber instantly swipes a hand across her throat, the universal sign to stop. Octari blushes in embarrassment and says "I mean Agent 3 taught me how to do it. You just focus on turning your legs slightly into your squid or octopus form. After that, you are springy!"

Octema raises an eyebrow at the explanation. "Is it really that simple?" Octari nods, a big smile on her face.

Amber looks over to the elite and says "If you know how to super jump, you can do this. It's quite simple after that."

The elite nods, then looks at her legs. She concentrates on making her legs slightly inky, like her octopus form. She gasps lightly to herself when she sees them get coated in a small layer of purple ink. She presses on her leg, then lifts up. She gets shocked when she flies a few feet into the air instead of the normal foot or two.

After she lands, she presses on both legs. She jumps back into the air, much higher but more steady since she was expecting it. She lands, then looks at the fence. She jumps up, easily sailing over the fence. She lands without any problems.

The other agents also began to experiment with this new ability. They all picked it up fast, easily clearing the fence. They all had to admit, it was quite easy.

Octema, now feeling empowered with this new ability, turns back to the agents with a small smile. "Come on, let's go."

The agents begin running down the road between the metal buildings. They all had their weapons out were looking around in caution.

After a minute or two, they eventually find the area to space out some. A wide plaza area was situated in front of the factory, multiple trucks and cargo boxes strewn about.

The agents all look around in curiosity and suspicion. Someone was definitely running this place as the cargo looked fresh, not old and rundown like the other areas of Octo Valley.

"Do you have any idea what the commander wants with all this stuff?" The agents instantly snap their gaze over to the factory entrance when they here the sudden voice. Two octolings were walking out of the doors, both of them strangely dressed. The agents instantly hid behind a pile of cargo boxes and watch the octolings.

They both wore a black army suit with a set of metal plates on the outside. They both wore a small army cap with an insignia on it. It was a design of a red octopus with a set of shades over its eyes.

Ika's eyes narrow dangerously as he sees the insignia. "That's Octavius's marking. These must be his followers that escaped in the war."

The Squid Sisters nod, both of them recognizing the marking as well. Octema growls lowly from behind the boxes, instantly recognizing the insignia as well. "Octavius, the damned traitor. What could his lackies be doing here?"

The other agents had no answer and instead watched as the octolings began loading a truck with cargo boxes. The first octoling, his tentacles short and completely hidden behind his hat, just shrugs. "I don't know why, but you know how temperamental the guy is. I certainly don't want to be thrown into the pits."

The other octoling, his tentacles longer and set in a small ponytail thrown through the back of the hat, shudders. "Agh, don't talk about things! I hate hearing people in them. So horrible."

The first octoling shrugs and says "Well, you can't bother him about it, and I am certain the captain about it. That guy is more prone to anger than even the commander."

The octoling nods as they put another set of boxes in the truck. He is about to speak again, when another voice comes from the factory. "Hey you two! Get back in here, the commander wants to see you."

The octolings look over, then instantly pale at the sight of their captain. The other agents are also very surprised by the octoling in the doorway.

The octoling was wearing a similar suit to the other octolings, except his armor plates had a golden star emblazoned on it. He was a massive octoling as well, easily reaching 6'5". His purple eyes narrow dangerously from behind the set of shades on his head, his long tentacles hanging down his back. "Hurry up and get in here before I have to carry you both."

The octolings gulp and nods fervently, instantly rushing to the door. The quickly slip by the massive octoling and into the factory to find this 'commander'. The captain turns to go back in, when he hears a small scraping noise.

He turns back with a grunt, searching the loading area. He stands there for a minute, then grunts louder. He walks back into the factory, slamming the doors shut behind himself.

Behind the boxes that held the agents, they were all frozen in silent panic. Callie had slipped when trying to get a better view, causing the scraping noise. Luckily Marie had caught her and covered Callie's mouth before they could be discovered or make noise.

Marie helps Callie back onto her feet, the black-haired inkling trembling with nerves. "That… was too close."

The other agents nod in agreement. Octema looks back at the facility, then says "Something is obviously going on in there, but it also seems to be filled with Octolings, and not friendlies either. With a group this large, we'll never get around without being seen."

Marie looks at the factory, then back to the agents. Some of them did better going stealthily, while others were best at going to the front line with a loud roar. She looks at the available agents, then closes her eyes. There were less fight for this job than she realized, but she wasn't going to risk others.

Marie turns to Octema and says "Me and Agent 7 will go in." The other agents' eyes widen and they begin protesting. When a few of them begin to get to loud, Marie levels a heated glare on them. It instantly shuts them up.

Octema notices how loud the other agents were, but also how quiet Ika was being. She nods in agreement, already seeing Marie's point. "You two are the most quiet, and the most stealthy, correct?"

Marie nods. She turns to the agents, already sensing the protests. "This has to be done. There are too many of us to get this done quietly, and me and 7 have the best stealth experience. We'll be back soon, ok?"

The other agents all seemed conflicted, but they reluctantly agree. Octema nods, then looks at the roofs of the buildings around them. "We can go up to the barrack rooftops to hide. We'll wait for you there."

Ika and Marie nod in agreement. They watch as each agent goes up to the rooftops, hiding behind various exhaust pipes or machines on top. Now being the only two on the ground, they turn to the factory. Ika takes a deep breath, then says "Ready?" Marie nods without turning, and Ika can tell she's eager to start. With a wordless signal, the two bound across the loading area without a sound.

**-Author Notes-**

**And now things begin to heat up. I won't say anything and leave it to you guys to guess what'll happen. Hope you enjoyed!**


	53. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52**

The inside of the factory was dim and only slightly maintained. The two agents look around in caution as they sneak through the factory, trying to see anything important, or any hostile octolings that may catch them.

Ika notices that the corridors were getting brighter, making it easier to pick the two agents out from a distance. But, this also meant that shadows were present. Ika could exploit shadows.

Ika rummages in his bag, then grabs a small capsule filled with a black liquid. He opens up his ink tank and drops it in. His ink turns from the bright red to a pitch black, almost unseeable in the darkness.

Marie notices what he was doing and pulls out her own device. This one was a small tablet colored black. She pulls down her mask and pops it into her mouth. She shudders slightly as her tentacles turn black in color, her green spots turning a very dark gray.

The two inklings, now having black and gray ink respectively, move into the shadowed corridors. They sneak along quietly, not wanting to alert any guards that could be around.

They manage to reach an intersection in the hallway. They could continue forwards, or go left and right. Ika pears around the corner cautiously, searching for any hostiles. When he sees none, he breathes a mental sigh of relief.

He tells Marie the coast is clear and the two begin analyzing their options. Marie's ears twitch slightly as she listens for sounds, and Ika's eyes search everywhere for something to help them continue.

Eventually Marie lightly taps his arm. Ika turns back, and she points to the right hallway. "I hear someone speaking. It's faint, but audible."

Ika turns to the hallway and listens. He strains his ears to try and find the noise that Marie heard. Eventually, his ear twitches slightly as he registers what sounded like a very distant voice.

Ika nods and whispers "Alright, let's go." The two run across to the opposite hallway. They instantly hide in the shadows and move along silently, their footsteps making virtually no noise.

They eventually reach the end of the hallway, it turning to the left. The voices could be more clearly made out, but it was still too muffled to be heard clearly. As Ika looks past the corner, he realizes why the voices were muffled. There was a door at the end of the hallway, and the voices were behind it.

Ika gestures for Marie to follow, and they quickly move across the hallway. As they move, Ika suddenly stops and turns around. Marie stops quickly and turns around as well. "What?"

Ika's eyes dart all over the hallway, searching. He eventually turns back, albeit slowly and with some caution. "I thought I heard something."

The two turn around completely and continue forwards. They reach the door, and the muffled voices could be heard louder, but still unclear. Ika presses his ear against the door, hoping that would work. He curses silently and says "Must be a thick door or soundproof. I can't make anything out."

Marie steps up to the door, trying it out herself. When she also hears nothing but the indecipherable voices muffled by the metal door, she nods in agreement.

The two step back and Ika begins looking around. "We'll need a way in, but how?" They continue to search, trying to find a way to enter the room.

After a couple short moments, Marie's eyes widen as she spots something. "Look, a vent!" Marie points to the vent entrance and Ika smiles slightly.

"Big enough to fit in. That's our ticket." Ika goes over to the vent and grips the bars. He goes to grab the bars, when something makes him stop.

_Hissss_

Ika freezes at the sudden sound. He slowly raises himself, then says to Marie without turning "You heard that, right?"

Marie nods, similarly still. "That was hissing." Ika nods and slowly begins to turn around. Marie notices and follows suite. Once the turn around completely, their eyes narrow as they see what caused the hissing.

Two long reptiles were slithering along the floor leisurely. They had wide yellow eyes, their irises a blood red. Their pupils were slitted and their tongues flicked out in random intervals. The blue body with green spots told Ika exactly what they were. "Sea Serpents."

The serpents suddenly stop moving and rise up off the ground. Their piercing red eyes instantly train on Ika and Marie. They were constantly swaying, and their eyes darted around the agents' location. They seemed to be searching for something.

Ika and Marie stand stock still, not wanting to aggravate the two deadly creatures. Marie backs up very slowly, trying to keep the serpents from attacking. The serpent looking at her hiss slightly, but doesn't move.

She eventually is able to stand next to Ika without the serpents moving. The two snakes continued to look over their locations, still trying to find something. Ika brings a hand behind him and grabs onto the bars of the vent. He wanted to know where they were so they could escape if necessary.

The two serpents suddenly stop searching them and stare right into their eyes. Marie looks at the serpent's forehead, not wanting to look at the beast's eyes. Ika on the other hand instantly locks eyes with the serpent looking at him, narrowing his eyes in a silent challenge.

The serpent looking at Ika instantly hisses loudly and begins slithering across the floor. The other serpent sees what its companion was doing and drops down, hissing and slithering quickly.

Marie pales slightly and says "Ika, I think you made a mistake." Ika just nods and quickly turns into a squid. He slips through the bars of the vent, Marie following behind.

A sudden loud hiss is heard and the two squids are knocked forwards slightly. They turn and see one of the serpents gripping the bars with its teeth, trying to bite its way in. Marie just looks at it with wide eyes, then turns and pulls herself forwards with her tentacles.

The two squids inch forwards, ignoring the frustrated hissing behind them. Ika let's out a small gurgle in relief, then turns back to Marie. The white and green squid was back to her normal self, albeit with a slight shake in her tentacles.

Ika turns back forwards and begins pulling himself down the vent with his tentacles. Now that they were in the vent, they could make out some words more clearly.

"I want them… by tomorrow. That… must be produced… more test subjects are needed… you two load them up." Ika's expression becomes confused as he hears the chopped up conversation.

The two reach an incline and begin pulling themselves up the slope. They eventually reach the top and find a grate in front of them. Ika pulls himself closer to the grate and peers down. Marie squishes herself next to him to look as well.

Below them were the two octoling guards from before, the giant octoling behind them. A fourth octoling was pacing around in an irritated manner. His short tentacles were well styled and his suit looked like that of an army general.

The octoling stops pacing, then turns to the other octoling present. Ika and Marie's eyes widen as they get to see the octoling's face.

His left eyes had a large scar over it, and the bottom of his face was a slightly red and dripping slightly. His eyes were narrowed in impatience, and he begins talking again. "I need more materials for the serum! Where is the next shipment?!"

Ika flinches at the raspy tone of the octoling. It almost sounded like his voice box was undeveloped, but it also sounded familiar.

One of the octoling guards shake slightly and says "W-We don't know sir. We've been waiting for Mr. G to get here, but he hasn't shown up."

The octoling growls loudly and his fists tighten in rage. "That no good… I bet he has skipped out on the deal since opening his company in Inkopolis. When I get my hands on him I'll… AGH!"

The octoling suddenly grabs his chest in pain and bends over. His breath was coming in raspily, and his other hand was gripping his head in pain. The guards eyes widen in surprise and fear, but they don't move. The giant octoling growls and shoves them roughly to the side. He goes to the other octolings side and carefully puts a pill into the octoling's mouth. The octoling swallows it gratefully, then sighs as his pain eases up.

The giant octoling turns to the guards and says "That's the second time they refused to help." The octoling nods, more concerned with straightening his suit.

The giant octoling turns to the octoling and says "What should their punishment be commander?"

The octoling, or now the commander, looks at the suddenly fearful octolings. He turns away and waves a hand at them. "Throw them in the boiling pits. I need something to ease my nerves."

The captain nods, then walks over to the octoling guards. They whimper slightly, then begin protesting loudly as they are carried off by the giant octoling. Ika and Marie can only watch with wide eyes and wonder what these 'boiling pits' were.

The commander goes to a window and looks outside. He looks around and says "Why must I be surrounded by idiots? I need more inklings for this army."

The two squids suddenly grow confused at that. Inklings in an octarian army? That didn't seem normal, not in the slightest.

The commander walks to the side and Ika pokes his head throw the bars to get a better angle. The commander was walking around idly, nothing interesting. Then, Ika feels a tap on his back.

Ika pulls himself back through the bars and raises a nonexistent eyebrow to Marie. Marie just points down the vent, towards the direction they came from.

Ika looks behind himself, then pales rapidly. The sea serpents were slithering slowly down the vent, their eyes trained on Ika and Marie. One serpent hisses, baring its fangs at the two frightened squids. It suddenly snaps its jaw at them, and the two squids back up rapidly to avoid the bite. They ended up right over the grate and fall through.

The commander raises an eyebrow as he hears one of his serpents hissing from somewhere. "Hm? What is it this time?" The commander turns, looking around for his serpent. His eyes widen when he sees two squids, one black and red, and the other white and green, fall through the vent grate from above.

The two squids are left in a daze from the sudden fall. Ika shakes his head, then looks up. His eyes widen when he sees the commander walking towards them with a suspicious look on his face.

He stops in front of the two squids and says "Who are you? Identify yourselves!" Ika narrows his eyes at the commander, and the commander growls back. The black squid covers itself in red ink, and the commander's eyes narrow in suspicion. Red was a very rare ink color for inklings.

The inkling takes his humanoid form again, his eyes covered by shades and a half-face mask on. Despite this though, the commander's eyes widen when he sees the familiar construction-suit armor on the inkling. "An agent!"

The commander looks down at the white squid as it covers itself in ink as well. She shakes the ink off of herself, then aims her Hero Charger at the octoling. "You are unarmed and alone. I suggest you come with us, 'commander'."

The octoling looks between the two, then sighs. The two agents raise an eyebrow when they hear it as exasperation and not defeat. The octoling shakes his head and says "Alone? I am never alone."

Their confusion only raises higher, but then a loud clang is heard. Ika gasps sharply and grips his head tight as he feels something heavy fall on it. He looks up in curiosity, and then his eyes widen in surprise as he sees the sea serpents looking down on them, the grate not on the vent anymore.

The two agents jump back as the serpents fall to the ground. They expected to land on open ground, but then stumble slightly as they hit something. They go to turn around, when two massive and strong arms wrap around the two of them, keeping them in place.

The octoling claps lightly and says "Good work captain. Good timing as always." The captain just grunts in pride, his hold on the agents tight. Ika struggles slightly, but then the captain begins to squeeze. Ika lets up as he begins to feel his airpipes being blocked.

The commander walks up to the two agents, kicking aside the Hero Charger on the ground. He goes to kick the brush, but then notices something curious. It didn't have the same color scheme as the hero weapons he's seen. It looked wooden, with a carving on it.

The commander's eyes widen as he recognizes the brush as an Octobursh. Not any Octobrush though, but an Octobrush Remix. The commander turns back to the inklings and stares at them with wide eyes. "I know of only one inkling who managed to get an Octobrush remix. Could it be…"

The commander goes over to Ika and rips off his face mask and shades. Ika's unique eyes glare at the commander in defiance. The commander gasps loudly, and then his eyes narrow dangerously. "You…."

Ika raises an eyebrow and says "Me?" The commander growls loudly and suddenly sends a fist into Ika's stomach. Ika gasps and retches up ink as the blow hits him.

The commander continues to glare at Ika as he says "You stopped my plans… ruined everything I had built! You took away the glory the octarians rightfully deserved! You, _Ika Cuttlefish_, ruined my whole life!"

Ika raises an eyebrow in confusion, wondering what the octoling was going on about. And then, Ika's eyes widen immensely. Ika knew he heard the voice somewhere before, and now it was falling into place.

Ika looks at the octoling with nothing short of disbelief and says "Octavius?" Marie's eyes widen as she hears the name, and she looks back to the octoling. She gasps slightly as she recognizes the octoling as well.

The octoling grins madly as he hears the name. "I see you recognize me."

Ika just shakes his head in disbelief. "But how?! I saw you get splatted by Pearl's inkstrike!"

Octavius grunts and adjusts his suit slightly. "Did you really think I would go so deep into enemy territory without a back up plan? I had a long range spawn point set up to revive me in the case of me being splatting."

Octavius rasps slightly and gingerly touches the goopy part of his face. "As you can see, it didn't work completely. My lungs are destroyed, and my face is permanently scarred. All because of you…"

Octavius gasps raspily, gripping his chest slightly. The captain's eyes widen and he begins to loosen his grip on Marie, when Octavius puts a hand up. "Don't captain. This one… is short."

Captain nods, pulling Marie back towards him. She sighs in defeat as her chance of escape was ruined.

Octavius coughs, then straightens back up. He grimaces at the splatter of red shown on his hands, and not red ink. "Blood... "

Octavius waves his hand to remove the life liquids, then turns back to the two inklings. He turns to Marie and says "And you are Agent 2… Miss Marie, correct?"

Marie growls and says "Why would I answer to you, you damn monster?!"

Octavius stares at her for a little bit, Marie glaring right back. Octavius eventually leans back and says "Oh Marie, you'll answer to me soon enough."

He looks up to captain and says "Take her to the rehabilitation chamber. As for HIM… take him to the pits."

Captain nods, hoisting the two inkling over his shoulders. Ika was about to struggle, but the immense strength on his chest from the captain made him think otherwise. Octavius just watches them with a bored expression. Ika's eyes narrow as he sees a smug glint in them, and them. Then, the doors suddenly close.

The two agents are carried down a long and winding hallway. They do pass by a few octolings, most of them looking at the agents with curiosity, then hatred as they recognize the suits. They did pass by one massive room serving as an assembly line. Ika only got a glance, but he was able to see some sort of liquid in large tanks, and something golden.

They eventually turn a corner, and Ika is suddenly dropped on the floor. He goes to pick himself up, when he feels something cold pressed on his head. A single octoling had an Octoshot trained on his forehead, his finger on the trigger. Ika freezes, then lowers himself back down.

He turns around, and his eyes widen as he sees the giant octoling grab Marie and throw her into a room. The female inkling grunts in pain as she rolls on the floor, and then the captain presses a button. The metal door slides shut, and Marie is effectively trapped.

The giant octoling turns back to Ika and grabs him again. "Now its time for you." Ika is hoisted back onto the giant's shoulder, and the two exit the room.

They walk back in the direction they came from, and Ika raises an eyebrow at that. They eventually come back to the assembly line room, and Ika is surprised to find themselves entering.

The room was massive, and multiple octolings were moving around. They all had various test tubes and liquids, while a larger purple liquid was set in large tanks. Ika sees a flash of gold, and he turns his head. He gasps when he sees a large pile of golden orbs with a small fish in them. "_Salmonid eggs! But that means…"_

The captain turns and sees that Ika was looking around quite a bit, taking in everything. He grunts, then says "Take in all that you like inkling. You'll die soon enough."

Ika turns back to the octoling, wondering what he meant. Then, the octoling suddenly puts him down. Ika is set on his feet, and he is smart enough not to run. There were octolings everywhere, and he knew he wouldn't make it out in time.

The giant octoling pushes Ika roughly, and he begins walking. The two walk past the assembly line and all the working octolings, passing through a set of door in the back.

Ika raises an eyebrow at the next room. It was a blank room with a massive grate on the roof. In the middle was a bit, a large amount of steam exiting it.

Ika backs up slightly from the steam, but the octoling pushes him forwards. Ika turns back to the octoling, then notices the sadistic grin on his face. "Afraid, inkling? You should be. That pits is where you are going."

Ika turns back to the steaming pit, then gulps. He tries to keep himself from moving forwards, but the giant octoling was pushing him with ease. Then, with a sudden grunt of effort from the giant octoling, Ika finds himself hurling forwards into the pit. He has just enough time to notice the densely woven metal grate at the bottom of the pit before the pain hits him.

You see, inklings and octoling are made of 80% ink. Because of this, they are extremely vulnerable to water. When they touch water, the exposed body part turns into ink. If their whole bodies are exposed, they will dissolve into the water, instantly dying.

Now, water vapor has an interesting effect on inklings and octolings. Instead of causing them to dissolve, it instead just causes their bodies to instinctively turn into ink. This sudden turning into ink is very painful, along with some other effects.

When Ika entered the dense steam cloud, he is instantly hit with a spike of pain. He slams against the wall of the pit, then falls down, landing roughly on the grate. He doesn't feel it though as his body is washed with the immense pain of being burned by steam and his body suddenly turning into ink. The pain was immense, all he could feel was the burning and the spikes of pain all over his skin.

The captain looks down at the inkling, watching as his body turned into ink. He grunts in satisfaction, then turns away. "He won't last long." The door is slammed shut, and all that is left was Ika's pained cries.

**-Author Notes-**

**Oh this isn't good! Ika was thrown into a pit of death, and Marie was thrown who knows where. What'll happen to the agents with this impossible scenario set before them? I hope you enjoyed!**


	54. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53**

The last thing I remember is being thrown into that room. Why was I put there? I can't remember much else, just blanks. I must've hit my head and passed out. That octoling didn't exactly put me in there gently.

I can't open my eyes. Everything hurts. My head hurts, and so does my throat, and my mouth. Why does my mouth hurt? Did they do something to me?

I can't think straight. My head is spinning, and I can't open my eyes. Wait, but I do hear something. Someone is coming in the room. Are they going to torture me? Kill me? I hope not the latter. I could never forgive myself if I left Callie alone.

No, Callie has Ika. He'll be able to get out, no matter the situation. I believe in him.

"Smiling, Ms. Marie?" That voice, I know it. Octavius, that damn monster of a man. What does he want with me?

"You are looking... quite different. It is a good change, one that fits my liking well." Change? What change? Just what did you bastards do to me?!

"Hm? A little tense, are you? Well, no matter. You'll rest up in the barracks soon with the other soldiers." I can't handle this. I need to speak.

"Y-You… you w-won't… win." Cod, my voice is raspy. And why did it sound slightly higher? I still can't see, my eyes hurt too much.

"Speaking now? Good improvements. But you see Ms. Marie, I've already won." What? How does that make sense? He doesn't even know about the other agents!

"You see Ms. Marie, a body made of ink is malleable. It can adjusted, remade in a way I see fit. And what I see, is a soldier. Many soldiers in fact! And you, my sweet little slave, are the beginning."

Slave?! What in the world is this guy talking about?! Wait, why do I feel something on my face now? Are those… glasses? Why would they need-

_Obey. Serve. Kill. Hate. Octavius, the lord. Commander._

What the hell?! What is this?!

_You can't fight. Serve him, he will bring glory to you._

N-No! I won't serve… him!

_You can't win. Forget, and join him._

N-No! N-No! I won't join! I-I-I… I-I…!

_Join him!_

I-I… I will serve him as seen fit.

_Good. Now rest._

"Ah, Ms. Marie. How wonderful an addition you will be."

**-Ika-**

Ika had been in the boiling pit for ten minutes and his resolve was wavering. He couldn't feel anything but pain, but his time was ending and he knew he needed to find a way out, and FAST.

He manages to crack an eye open, and he looks up. The platform above was at least 20 feet up, and he knew he couldn't jump that far. It was too low for a super jump, so what could he do?!

Another spike of pain hits him as a blast of steam comes up from the boiling water below. Ika gasps raspily, then falls against the grate. It was taking all his willpower to keep himself together and not fall into the water below.

Ika's hand, nothing more than a mass of dripping ink that looked like a hand, presses against the wall. He flinches at the heat he feels, but it was nothing compared to the pain his whole body was feeling.

He forces himself up, trying to stand. His legs wobble, throwing ink everywhere. He feels another spike of pain and collapses onto his knees. He grips the bars tightly, his eyes narrowed and his breaths raspy.

"_Agh… I can't stand, but kneeling is an improvement. Come on Ika… come on!" _With a loud and drawn out cry of pain and exertion, Ika manages to pull himself onto his feet. He presses against the wall, ignoring the heated metal.

Ika looks up at the platform above, and his mind begins working rapidly to find a solution. "_I can't super jump up there, the roof is too low. If only I had a way to just jump higher!"_

Ika grits his beak, then screams in frustration. He slams his fist against the wall, splattering ink everywhere. What he doesn't expect though is the sudden recoil he feels, and he is thrown on his back.

Ika grits his beak harder at the sudden flare of heat on his back, and he struggles to pull himself up. He manages to get on his feet again, then looks at his hands in wonder.

"_I… bounced. Why did I bounce?" _He stares at his hands, then at his torso. He makes his way to his legs, and his eyes widen. "_That bouncing technique Octari showed us! That's my ticket out of here!"_

Ika bends his legs slightly, gasping at the sudden pain. He looks up, then releases the pressure. He manages to go a few feet, but not nearly the amount he needs to escape.

He grits his beak as he lands, then tries bending his legs farther. He has to bite his tongue to stop a scream from escaping, but he manages to get as far down as he could. He releases the pressure, and he rockets upwards.

Ika's eyes widen and he grabs for the ledge. He stops just before he is able to grab the ledge, his fingers brushing the ledge just slightly. Ika lands again, falling on his bottom. He shakes his head, then quickly gets back up. His new found determination was causing the pain to numb somewhat.

He tries the jump again, but falls short. He didn't make it any higher. He goes for a third jump, but the same results happen.

Ika grits his beak, looking for another way to get out. "_If I can't jump up there in one go, then I'll need to do it multiple times."_

He looks at the wall, then jumps up. He reaches a good five feet, and he angles his feet at the wall. When he touches it, he bends his legs again. He pushes off the wall, reaching another five feet. He goes to turn himself, then gasps as another flare of pain hits him. He slams into the wall, bouncing off of it and down to the ground below.

Ika shakes his head, then looks up. He sees a red ink splatter roughly about halfway up, around where he hit the wall.

He frowns, and nods. "_At least it works." _Ika forces himself onto his feet, ignoring the pain coursing through his body. He bends his legs, then jumps up again.

Ika manages to get up a few feet higher before he falls back down. He hits the grate and bounces up, gasping as it knocks the air out of his lungs.

He forces himself back onto his feet, grunting with the effort. He gasps loudly, trying to get his breath back. He inhales a ton of steam, causing him to flinch at the heat, but he was gaining his breath back.

He picks himself up, then tries one more time to reach the top. He ignores the steam hitting his back, then pushes off the ground.

Five feet. He turns and plants his feet on the wall. He jumps off, gaining a little more power.

Twelve feet. He manages to right himself midair and land on the wall properly. He pushes, and launches again.

Eighteen feet. He was almost there, he could see it. He twists his body, just barely managing to get his feet in position. With one last push, he soars over the edge of the pit and into the room above.

Ika rolls across the room, his body already turning back to normal. By the time he hits the wall, he was already back in his humanoid form, his skin scalded and his energy sapped.

The wounded agent just lays there, trying to get his breath back. After a few minutes, he manages to gain enough breath to stand up. He flinches at the burns on his skin, but it wasn't nearly as bad as when he was in the pit.

Ika limps over to the door, then looks out into the factory room through the window on the door. There were octolings all over, all of them still working on the strange liquid.

A loud blare is heard, and the octolings all look up. They begin chatting in loud, and obviously relieved voices. They all begin to leave the factory room, and Ika just watches with wide eyes. "_Huh. What a lucky break."_

Ika pushes the door open, looking around cautiously. He creeps his way into the room, looking around the suddenly empty room. He moves as quietly as he could with a limp in his posture.

He moves past a tank of the liquid, looking at it in curiosity. He looks behind it and finds a tube coming from it connecting to a set of test tubes. Ika goes over and views the liquid curiously. It was a simple purple color, but nothing else was happening.

Ika shrugs, then grabs a test tube. He grabs a stopper nearby, shutting the tube up. He pockets the tube, looking back around the room. No footsteps were heard, so he deemed it safe to continue searching.

He continues past the table with the test tubes, and looks around the room. He searches for something to use, and his eyes fall on a rack on the back of the room. It had multiple Octo Shots in it. That was something he could use.

Ika tries running over, then stops as his legs begin to flare up. He instead resorts to walking over, unable to do much more.

He reaches the rank and grabs one of the Octo Shots. He clips the gun to his ink tank, then tries firing a test shot. It clicks, but only a dribble of ink comes out. Ika turns behind himself, then curses as he sees his ink tank cracked at the bottom, his ink spilling out before any could reach the gun. It must've broken when he feel into that pit.

Ika looks around, looking for a way to fix his problem. He was in a lab, there had to be something!

His eyes narrow as he is unable to see anything. He curses, a little louder, and makes his way to the entrance of the room. He'd have to deal with not having his ink tank and using the gun like a melee weapon.

He peaks out of the door, looking around for any octolings. Luckily, none seemed to be present in this area. He steps out, then presses himself into the shadows to hide himself.

Once he is certain he is fully hidden, Ika begins thinking of his next move. "_I am injured and have no ink to heal myself. I'll need to be careful when moving. I also need to get Marie. I think I remember where they put her."_

Ika begins shuffling along the shadows slowly. He was glad the lights here were so much brighter, or else the shadows wouldn't have been dark enough to hide him.

He makes it to an intersection, then looks around. His eyes widen when he sees a metal door, similar to the one the big octoling shut at Marie's room.

The agent makes his way down the hallway carefully, not wanting to alert anyone. He passes by a few doors with windows, causing him to crouch to move by. The burns on his body flared up every time he crouched, making Ika flinch in pain.

He reaches the door without any problem. Seeing the large red button the octoling used to close the door, Ika presses it. The metal door slides open with a hiss, and Ika looks inside.

The room was white, and looked like a hospital room. There was a bed and a set of chairs, along with a machine next to the bed. There was also an IV drip, but it was mostly empty. Only a small remnant of the liquid used remained.

Ika's eyes narrow as he sees the color of the liquid. It was purple, a very similar purple to the liquid in the lab. Ika moves into the room cautiously, but still wanting to see the liquid closer.

He goes around the bed slowly, still looking for any danger. He reaches the IV drip and looks at the liquid. He pulls out the small flask he had, then back to the liquid. "_They're the same. But what does this do? Why is it being put in people?"_

"I suggest you hand that flask over, inkling." Ika's eyes widen and he spins around. An octoling was in the doorway holding an Octo Shot. She had the same armor as all the other octolings, albeit a little more revealing. Two of her tentacles were tied into a bow at the back of her head, swishing to the left. Her other two tentacles framed her face, ending at her chin. She also wore a set of army shades.

Ika growls slightly, but in his mind he was panicking. He was trapped, and the octoling in front of him was obviously a fighter and armed. All he had was a gun with no ammo.

The octoling smirks slightly, noticing his panic. "You know you can't get away. I suggest you listen."

Ika's eyes stay trained on the octoling and he steps back. He looks around, trying to find a way to get past her.

His eyes move over to the table next to the bed, and next to Ika. It had various medical equipment on it, along with a syringe. Ika eyes the syringe, then moves his gaze back to the octoling. He moves his hand, behind the bed and away from the octoling's view, to the syringe. He grips it tightly, moving his arm back.

The octoling takes another step into the room and says "Alright, come here." Ika doesn't move, simply glaring at the octoling.

She frowns, then steps closer. "I said, come here." She steps forwards again, and Ika's eyes narrow. He suddenly jumps forwards, ignoring the pain in his legs. The octoling's eyes widen and she raises her Octo Shot, but Ika was faster. He slams the empty syringe into the octoling's arm, then runs out of the room.

The octoling yelps in pain as the needle is driven deeply into her arm. She grips the syringe, then yanks it out, flinching as it stings her arm. She growls, then looks back out of the room. She runs out, then searches around for the inkling. She couldn't see him though, and her posture begins to relax. "_He couldn't have gotten far." _She begins to walk down the hallway at a brisk pace, searching every corner for the intruding inkling.

Ika breathes a sigh of relief as he sees the octoling go the direction opposite he did. He moves down the hallway, keeping to the shadows. He didn't want to alert anyone else.

He gets to a corner, then looks to the next hallway. His eyes widen when he sees the entrance to the factory. He looks back to the hallway, then to the entrance. He grits his beak, conflicted.

"_I want to go find Marie, but she wasn't in that room. It could take a long time to find her, and she could be anywhere. Plus, this place is filled with enemy octolings, armed too." _Ika looks at his burnt body, then at his broken ink tank. He knew the answer, but was reluctant to admit it.

"_I-I… I have to go. I'm sorry Marie, I'll come back to get you as soon as I can." _His mind made up, he makes his way towards the entrance of the factory.

_Hissss_

Ika freezes as he hears the now familiar sound of hissing. "Oh, what is it? Do you sense something wrong?"

Ika slowly turns around, then pales as he sees two familiar sea serpents appear at the intersection. They were looking at his direction, seeming to stare right at him. To make matters worse, Octavius was with them.

The traitorous octoling looks at the direction his serpents were looking, and Ika freezes. Octavius's eyes stay trained on the hallway, passing over the shadows Ika was hidden in. He scoffs, then says "Come now you two, nothing is there."

The two sea serpents look at their master, then back at Ika. Their heads slowly turn away, the snakes and octoling leaving.

Ika lets out a breath of relief, then looks back at the entrance of the factory. He decides to get rid of stealth and runs down the hallway, his footsteps echoing slightly in the metal corridor. He runs out of the factory, and into the loading yard.

He instantly dives behind a box as he catches a glimpse of red tentacles. The octoling loading the trucks looks over to the factory door, an eyebrow raised. He thought he heard someone coming out. He searches a little more, then shrugs. He then goes back to loading up the trucks.

Ika looks out from behind the boxes and watches as the octoling walks away. Taking this opportunity, Ika moves as fast as he could across the loading area. He turns into a squid and, aiming at the building he knew the agents were on, blasts into the air.

Callie's eyes widen as she sees a super jump reticle appear on the ground. She puts a hand up, shielding herself from the ink that splatters everywhere. She cracks an eye open, and sees Ika standing there.

Her eyebrows furrowed in worry and anticipation, she says "How did the mission go? Did you learn anything useful?!"

Ika nods, then grunts as a flare of pain hits his body. He falls to the ground, grunting again in pain. The burns were flaring up from the running he did.

The agents' eyes widen, some more than others. Callie instantly runs to her brother, noticing for the first time the discolored burn marks. "Who… who did this to you?!"

Ika pushes himself back up, looking at his sister. "Callie, we have a problem."

Callie looks at her brother with wide, worried eyes. "What? What is it?"

Ika looks around at the agents, then drops the bomb shell. "Octavius is back."

Callie's eyes widen even more, and Octema's eyes narrow dangerously. Callie shakes her head slowly, picking herself up. "N-No… he couldn't be back. You said Pearl splatted him with an ink strike!"

Ika nods. "She did. The problem was, Octavius had a long range respawn point set up for himself. It caused a ton of problems for him, but he was able to survive and get away."

Octema growls loudly, her fist slamming on to the rooftop. "Damn it! That slimy bastard keeps fucking with our lives!"

Ika nods grimly, Callie just staring in the air with wide eyes. Octari, Octavia, and Amber all look between each other with either looks of worry or anger. They didn't ever experience Octavius's plans, except Octari but she still can't remember, so they weren't as affected. Either way, they knew what Octavius did and were not happy to hear he is back.

Ika hoists himself back onto his feet, then looks at the agents again. "There's one more thing."

Callie snaps out of her daze and looks at Ika. Seeing that he had the agents' attention, he continues onwards. He looks at each of them, his eyes filled with anger. But not at someone else. "Marie was captured."


	55. Chapter 54

**Chapter 54**

Callie was already devastated by Octavius returning. He caused so much pain to so many people, almost killing her brother in the process. She thought the news couldn't be worse. But now, Marie is missing, captured by the psychopathic octoling.

Something in Callie was close to breaking, she could feel it. Something was there, and it made her scared. But at the same time, she felt empowered by it. She knew what it was. It was hate.

A fire bursts into life in Callie's eyes, and her posture tenses. Ika looks at her with concern, somehow knowing something was wrong. "Callie. Are… you ok?"

Callie grits her beak, glaring at the factory. "No, I'm not. That fucking bastard just squidnapped my cousin!"

Ika's eyes widen in surprise and shock at what comes out of Callie's mouth. He'd never heard Callie curse like that before. This… was concerning.

Ika walks over to Callie cautiously, uncertain how to deal with her when angry. "Callie, please calm down. We need to think about this."

Callie's gaze snaps over to Ika, and he stumbles back as if struck. Her gaze wasn't just on him, she was glaring at him. "Calm down?! Probably the worst person on the entire planet just took our cousin! I won't stand by and let him do who knows what to her!"

Ika's eyebrows furrow in worry at Callie's sudden temper. This was not something he knew how to deal with. Callie's never been this angry before. "Callie, please think about this."

Callie grits her beak, her glare increasing. "I am thinking about it! The person who tried to kill THOUSANDS for his own gains squidnapped MY cousin! OUR cousin! And you are trying to avoid saving her!"

The agents gasp in shock, and Ika's eyes widen exceptionally. He frowns, and his face darkens. Callie breaths heavily from the small rant she had, then she blinks. Her eyes suddenly widen as she realizes what she said. She looks at her brother with regret in her eyes, stumbling on the words. "I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't-"

Ika shakes his head and mumbles out "No, it's ok. Marie obviously is more important to you than I have ever been."

The black haired inkling walks along the rooftops, then says "Come on, we need to rest before saving Marie." He then super jumps to the camp gate without another word.

Callie's eyes were wide at what Ika said. The other agents look at her with pity or sympathy, then super jump to the grate. Octari looks at her with a worried look, then super jumps as well.

Callie just watches everyone leave, her lip quivering. Tears spring into her eyes, and she sniffles. She looks back at the factory, and she stares. She thinks back on what Ika said, and she grits her beak. She turns around, with some effort, and super jumps away.

She lands next to the gate and notices the other agents already on the other side. She jumps over the fence with the spring ability, then runs to catch up with the agents. They all hop into the kettle and blast up to the valley, Callie close behind.

They all re-emerge from the kettle and find the platform slightly crumbled. Cracks were all over and a few floating platforms were gone all together. They look around for only a second before they all super jump back to Area 1.

Once they all land, Ika turns to Octema. "I'm sorry we couldn't figure out the whereabouts of Konton."

Octema shakes her head and says "It's alright. You all did the best you could. Besides, you found much more than what we ever thought before."

Ika nods, then turns to the other agents. "You all can head home now. We'll need time to rest before we go back into that factory."

They all nod, then begin super jumping away. Octari looks back at Callie and nods her head to Ika. She then turns and jumps away.

Callie sniffles a little as she looks away from Octari to Ika. Ika had turned his back now and was just looking to the sky. Sensing this may be a sensitive moment, Octema turns and super jumps back to Octo Canyon.

Now left alone, the two siblings were uncertain what to do. Callie shuffled slightly on her feet, her hands pulled to her chest. She looks up to Ika, tears still in her eyes. "I-Ika… I-I"

Ika shakes his head and says "Don't. I know that you didn't mean what you said."

Callie frowns and looks at the ground again. That didn't stop her from feeling bad about her outburst.

Ika turns around and walks over to his sister. He pulls her shades off, looking at her large and innocent eyes. He smiles and says "Besides, I think the shades may have had something to do with it. You are the most innocent, sweetest girl I know. You'd never act like that on your own."

Callie's eyes, already big from crying, seem to widen even more. She sniffles loudly, her lip quivering. She then throws herself on to Ika, her eyes overflowing with tears. "I-I'm so sorry! I d-don't want to do that again!"

Ika smiles warmly, rubbing his sister's back to comfort her. "Callie, I said it's ok. I know you didn't mean it."

After that, the two just stand there. Callie gripped her brother tightly, afraid that if she let go, he'd be angry again. Ika just wanted to comfort her, so he didn't move.

Callie shuffles slightly, and Ika let's her go. She was still looking at the ground at first, and then her head raises. "Are we still friends?"

Ika blinks, then chuckles lightly. "What? Of course we are. We never were not friends."

Callie smiles slightly, rubbing her tears away. She stands up a little straighter, then says "What do we do about Octavius?"

Ika looks down at his burnt and battered body. Some of the burns were already fading, but they still hurt like hell. "I can't fight like this, so we can't go back in there until I am healed. For now, I have another idea."

Callie tilts her head in curiosity, her boundless energy already coming back. "Oh? What's that?"

"When I was in the factory, I was able to see their production room." He pulls out the vial of purple liquid, swishing it around in the tube. "They were making this liquid. I don't know what it's for, but I think they are putting it in people. Obviously, it isn't something good."

Callie bounces on her feet slightly, smiling at what she believes is a good guess. "So you are going to analyze it?"

Ika shakes his head, an Callie frowns in defeat. "Not yet. I wouldn't be able to analyze it myself anyways. I'll leave that to Marina. No, for now, I have something else to check into."

Looking at his sister with a serious, he says "Along with seeing what they were producing, I also saw what they were using to produce this liquid. Golden Salmonid eggs."

Callie's eyes widen and she gasps loudly. "Wait, you don't think…"

Ika nods, knowing what Callie was thinking. "Yes, I believe that Mr. Grizz may be involved."

Callie suddenly looks distressed as she says her next thought. "But why?! He seemed so nice!"

"That may be true, but it could've been a hoax. Let's go see what he has to say before anything else." Callie nods, but still looks upset. The two turn to the direction of Octo Canyon, then super jump to the return kettle.

After they get back into the square, the two agents instantly move to Grizz Co. They still had their agent gear on, causing a lot of inklings to look over in curiosity. Some octolings cowered slightly in fear, but most looked at them with awe. The two had their shades and for Ika his mask up, so they weren't recognized.

They reach the Grizz Co building and enter it. The two inklings there were speaking to Mr. Grizz's bear machine when the two agents enter. They take one look at their gear before quickly stepping to the side. Agents were mysterious and few knew anything about them other than the fact that they protected Inkopolis. It was often better to leave them alone.

Ika looks at the bear and says "Mr. Grizz, we need to talk."

The bear shakes, then says "I know that voice. I'll be right with you."

The door behind the counter opens up and Mr. Grizz steps out. The two inklings look at him in awe, not expecting their employer to be so cool looking. Mr. Grizz takes one glance at the agents before turning to the two inklings. "Sorry kiddos, I need to talk with these two. I'll help you when I am done."

The two inklings look at the agents, then at Mr. Grizz. They nod, then walk out of the building with a big grin on their faces. Mr. Grizz chuckles to himself, then turns to the agents. "So… _agents_. What do I owe the pleasure of seeing you?"

Ika's eyes narrow as he hears the slight venom in Mr. Grizz's voice when he said agents. Obviously, this guy did not have a good history with agents. Ika stands up taller and says "Mr. Grizz, we have found that you have been dealing with an old enemy of the Octarian society."

Mr. Grizz steps back slightly in shock, then hastily recovers. "I-I don't know what you mean."

Ika steps forwards, his posture calm but ready to attack. "Mr. Grizz, we would appreciate it if you cooperate with us. We have ways of getting you to talk, whether you want to or not."

Mr. Grizz looks at the very intimidating agent in front of him, then at the one behind him. She was grinning widely, her hand resting on the handle of the massive roller on her back. Mr. Grizz sighs in defeat, then says "Alright, I'll tell you want you want to know. Just… don't do it out in the open, please?"

Ika looks back at Callie and she nods. Ika turns back and says "Alright. We can do it in that back room you seem to disappear into."

Mr. Grizz nods and says "Fine. Let's get this over with." The trio then walk through the door Mr. Grizz came through. The room beyond was simple living space with a small computer screen to the side. It had a microphone, presumably how Mr. Grizz talked through the bear up front.

Mr. Grizz sits in his computer chair, then says "Well, I guess I need to start now." The agents nods in agreement.

Mr. Grizz leans closer to them and says "I never wanted to give that filthy bottom feeder the eggs. He was a bad egg, I could tell that already. But, he offered me no choice. He found out about my… secret. This wasn't a small secret either. Some people, if they found out, would stop at nothing to kill me. That octoling threatened to send it into the public. I couldn't afford that."

The two agents look at each other in surprise. Callie leans closer and whispers "I told you he was a good guy." Ika nods, not really expecting what Mr. Grizz told them.

Mr. Grizz, not hearing the exchange, continues. "Once he offered me the choice of life or death, I accepted his deal. After that, I've been supplying him with eggs every month. In fact, I may have to get more eggs down there if I want to keep my head."

Ika looks at Mr. Grizz with a quizzical expression, although it wasn't seen with his shades and mask on. "So, why does he need these eggs?"

Mr. Grizz shrugs and says "Beats me. The only thing I know is that he is making some liquid with them, and the only thing I can see with that is the eggs working as a catalyst, making the reaction go extremely fast. Why he needs a fast reaction for whatever the liquid does, I don't know."

Ika nods slowly, going over the statement. That did seem logical. If this liquid was in fact being put in people like Ika thought, then it would make sense that Octavius would make it work quickly. But what did the liquid do? Was it a poison? Could it do something like sanitization?

Ika looks up as he thinks more on Octavius and the liquid. He would never figure out what the liquid does unless he drank it himself, or he gave it to Marina for testing. The latter was more appealing. And, they would need a way to get to Octavius and save Marie. But how?

His eyes widen as he gets an idea. He turns to Mr. Grizz and says "Mr. Grizz, would you like to help us stop Octavius and bring him to justice?"

Mr. Grizz looks at the inkling in surprise, then says "Of course I would! But how is that going to happen?"

Ika then says "Well, I was thinking that we would hide away in your next shipment so that we could get into the factory again."

Mr. Grizz's eyes widen behind his helmet, and he nods slowly. "That… could work. The next shipment isn't for a couple weeks though, and I'll need to notify Octavius on that. Will that work for you?"

Ika nods. "That'll work perfectly for us. I need time to rest and go over some info I found in the factory."

Mr. Grizz seems to notice Ika's burns for the first time. He whistles and says "Octavius must've done a number on you kiddo. You really should rest up."

Ika nods, then says "And I will. Thank you for cooperating Mr. Grizz." Mr. Grizz nods, then waves at the agents as they leave.

The two inklings exit the building and begin making their way to Octo Canyon to get out of their agent gear. Callie looks over to Ika and says "We have a good start, don't we?"

Ika nods, then pulls out the liquid. He watches it swirl in the tube, then says "We do. Let's hope we can keep it that way." The two stop at the grate, then jump in, shooting down to Octo Canyon. Next stop, Marina.


	56. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55**

After Callie and Ika took off their agent gear, they wave goodbye to their grandpa and head back to Inkopolis. They pop up back in the square and look at the studio opposite of them. They see Marina and Pearl sitting in their studio, chatting away and waiting for the next news section.

The two black-haired inklings move across the street quickly, ignoring the inklings that wave at them or try to get autographs. Ika was much stiffer than Callie was, and she could see that he was close to losing it and bolting. She wraps an arm around him to try and calm him down. When she feels him loosen slightly, she knows it was working.

They step into the alley next to the studio and enter through the door. Callie waves at the desk clerk, who smiles and lets them pass. Callie may have been removed from the news cast, but she was still well known and welcome.

After they go past the clerk, they stop in front of a door labelled as 'Studio 1'. They open it and find the inside of the studio Pearl and Marina are so often inside of.

The two newer pop idols look behind themselves as they hear the door open. Pearl grins widely and Marina gives a beaming smile as they see Ika and Callie enter. "Ika, Callie, nice to see you to!"

Callie smiles and nods in agreement. "And you too Pearl. But, we do have something to ask."

Ika nods, looking over at Marina. "It is very important and for… the agency."

Pearl and Marina's eyes widen, and they look at each other. Marina puts on a more serious face and nods. She goes over to her DJ booth and presses a button. A sudden, loud clank is heard and a thin metal screen goes over the window. The inklings outside look at in surprise, then shrug and walk away.

Now with the room blocked off from the public, Marina presses more buttons on her DJ booth. A hatch on the wall opens up and a small tabletop extends from it. It contained her laptop, a lab set for chemicals, and a small desktop drawer.

Ika and Callie look at the sudden changes in both confusion and slight awe. Pearl turns around and, noticing their expressions, says "She wanted to still do her sciency stuff while working. We don't get to go home until 8 anyways, so making this place a second living place was almost a must."

Callie, after hearing the explanation, was the first to recover. She knew the feeling those two had all too well. She and Marie had to do the same thing when they were the news stars. Being stuck in a single room for almost eleven hours can be taxing if you didn't have your own entertainment.

Marina smiles her normal calming smile and says "What do you need me to do?"

Ika walks over to the small lab area and pulls the test tube out of his pocket. He hands it to Marina, who instantly begins inspecting it. "After a recent mission me, Callie, and some other agents did, we found this liquid. It was being mass produced by Octavius and-"

Marina's eyes widen immensely and she instantly snaps her gaze to Ika. "Did you say Octavius?!"

Ika nods, knowing full well why she was distressed. "Yes, Octavius. He had a long range respawn point set up for himself in case of emergencies."

Marina suddenly narrows her eyes and growls audibly, something uncommon for the normally timid octoling. "That no good, so that's what is was for."

Ika raises an eyebrow, and Marina realizes she said her thought out loud. She sighs, then says "Back when I lived in Octo Canyon, I was one of the smartest octolings there. I was tasked with building various weapons or contraptions, so I was rarely ever actually out fighting. One day, Octavius came to me and asked me to build a long range respawn point, but never told me why. I agreed and began working on it. I never finished before I moved to Mt. Nantai."

Ika thinks back on what Octavius said. "He told me it didn't work completely when he used it. He must not have realized it wasn't finished."

Marina's eyes widen as she begins to interpret what Ika was saying. "Wait, he used MY respawn point?! I told everyone it wasn't finished!"

Callie shrugs and says "The guy never listened to anyone anyways. No surprise there." Marina blinks, then nods in agreement.

Pearl looks between the three with a slightly annoyed expression. "Hey, who is this Octavius guy anyways?"

Ika turns around and looks at the pygmy squid with a quizzical expression. "Weren't you at the debriefing me and Callie did with everyone?"

Pearl's eyes widen, and she chuckles nervously. "O-Oh, that's what that was? I thought it was some boring meeting."

Ika looks at her in disbelief, then turns to Marina. "How does she survive being a news star if she can't go to a single debriefing?" Marina shrugs, not sure herself.

Ika sighs in exasperation, then turns back to Pearl. "Octavius was an evil octoling who tried to start a war between the Octarians and Inklings. You splatted him with an ink strike, or so we thought."

Pearl's eyes widen in surprise. She grits her beak, and her eyes narrow. "Octavius was that punk?! I knocked him into the sky with that plan!"

Ika shakes his head and says "You heard the discussion we had. He survived."

Pearl grits her beak harder and her tentacles seem to glow slightly. Ika blinks, and the glow is gone. He turns to Marina and says "How long will it take to analyze that liquid?"

Marina looks at the liquid and says "Depends on numerous factors, but I'd guess somewhere around an hour."

Ika nods, then says "Mind if I talk with Pearl?" Marina shrugs and nods her head. Ika nods his thanks, then turns to Pearl.

"Pearl, we need to talk about something." Pearl shrinks slightly under Ika's suddenly analyzing gaze. She looks over to Callie, then almost bursts into laughter. The magenta inkling was looking between the two with a very exaggerated expression of confusion, a stark contrast to the intimidating look Ika had.

Ika raises an eyebrow in confusion, then looks over at Callie. His eyes widen and he yells "Callie! You ruined my look!" Callie looks back at him, then chuckles sheepishly, her cheeks slightly magenta colored.

Ika sighs, then sits on one of the chairs in the room. Callie sits next to him, and Pearl sits in her own chair. She throws a leg over the other and smirks at the black-haired inklings in front of her. "So, what's the dealio squiddo?"

Ika raises an eyebrow at the comment, then remembers that Pearl was three years older than him or Callie. That was something he forgot with her being at least 5 inches shorter than himself.

He shakes his head to rid himself of the thoughts, then looks back at Pearl. "I keep noticing something odd with you, and gramp's story gave me another example."

Pearl raises an eyebrow at Ika's statement. Ika then continues with "Whenever you have extreme emotions, specifically anger, you seem to cause your tentacles to glow. That's a tell-tale sign of a special within you being ready. But, you do it without any assistance from a device. I want to know, is this something you know you can do?"

Pearl's eyes suddenly begin shifting slightly from Ika's gaze, then travels along the room's walls. Callie frowns at that and says "Come on Pearlie, you can tell us."

Pearl grimaces at the pet name Callie and Marina seemed to have taken a liking for. She sighs, then says "Yes… I know I can do it."

Her eyes narrow and she crosses her arms under her chest. "But believe when I say I don't like using it!"

Ika raises an eyebrow and says "Why's that?"

Pearl looks over at him and says "You were there when Callie found me outside the news studio, right?" Ika nods. Pearl continues to look at him and says "Then you know why I was thrown out?" He nods again.

"Then you know why. My voice is so loud I can make shockwaves and break electrical equipment. I have to whisper in concerts to even sing."

Callie's eyes widen immensely and she stares at the inkling in awe. "What!? You are that loud when whispering?!"

Pearl nods. "I am off key when I do it, but yes, I am. It only seems to happen when I sing though, so talking isn't an issue."

Ika takes one look at her plus-shaped pupils, then turns back to Callie. He then whispers "Does everyone in Calamari County have some weird power when it comes to singing?" Callie shrugs, unable to answer.

Pearl looks down at her lap, a more solemn expression on her face. "I could never control it, so I gave up singing. That's why your help was such a big deal Callie. You gave me an opportunity to do what I love in a way that doesn't hurt others."

The smaller inkling sniffles lightly and rubs her eyes. Ika and Callie look at each other, and Callie voices the question they had. "Why didn't you ask for help? Me and Marie are experts in controlling our voices, so we could've helped you."

Ika nods and says "I may not like singing publicly, but I could've helped too."

Pearl smiles at the two of them, tears still in her eyes. "Thanks guys, but that wouldn't have helped. I… think I am that loud because of the special in me, the one I can activate on my own."

Ika tilts his head in confusion and says "Wait, what?"

Pearl looks at her stomach, rubbing it idly. "I use a Killer Wail naturally, and I think my ability to use it on command without a device to actually pull it to me is what causes me to be so loud."

She looks back up with a sheepish smile and says "So, while I would've like the help, I don't think it would've worked."

Ika looks at the white-haired inkling, his mind running wild. This sounded oddly similar to something. His eyes widen as he realizes what he was remembering. "Wait! What if we got you a limiter like Amber has?"

Pearl's eyes widen at the idea. She begins to nod slowly, a grin forming on her face. "That… that could work! Oh, that definitely could work!"

She jumps off the chair with a massive grin and says "Alright! I could finally sing normally!"

The smaller inkling begins to hop on each foot excitedly, looking between the two Calamarian inklings. "So, what are we waiting for, let's go!"

Ika chuckles at her enthusiasm, then turns back to Marina. She was watching the whole exchange, and she nods at Ika. "It'll take another 40 minutes anyways." Ika nods, then follows Pearl out of the studio, Callie right behind him.

Pearl runs into the middle of the square, ignoring the fans that instantly began swarming her. She was just laughing and running around, and it just caused the inklings and octolings around her to become boosted. They had no clue why Pearl was so happy, but it made them happy too. Quite a few actually turned around and ran into the Battle Tower, whooping and hollering the whole way.

Ika watches the chaos with a pleasantly confused expression. "Wow, that was not what I expected from people."

Callie shrugs and says "The life of an idol can be strange. Very strange." She suddenly shivers slightly and Ika looks at his sister with visible concern.

Pearl suddenly stops in the middle of the square, then turns to Ika with a sheepish expression. "Um, where is the guy who made the limiters again?"

Ika opens his mouth, then blinks in surprise. "Huh, I don't actually know."

Pearl groans loudly, suddenly doing a 180 from her happy mood. "Agh! How am I supposed to get a limiter if you don't know where the guy is?!"

Ika shakes his head and says "Calm down Pearl! Amber would know, right?"

Pearl blinks, then nods. "Right, didn't think about that." Ika just flashes her with a smug look, causing the white-haired inkling to glare at him.

The three of them then begin walking through Inkopolis to Flounder Heights. It takes them only a few minutes, and soon they find themselves in the large apartment complex. Running up the floors quickly, Pearl practically kicks the door down when she reaches Amber's door. "AMBERINEEDYOURHELP!"

Amber jumps at the sudden intrusion into her home, her hand reaching for a non-present weapon. She gropes slightly, then realizes it was just Pearl, and she was grabbing air. She sighs, dropping her hand, then looks at Pearl with a slightly annoyed expression. "What do you need Pearl?"

Pearl runs over and grabs onto Amber's shirt, shaking her violently. "WheredidyougetthelimiterIneedtoknow!" Amber doesn't respond because she felt like the shaking would throw her head off.

Ika and Callie walk into the room, and Callie proceeds to burst into laughter. Ika laughs slightly to himself, then walks over to free Amber. "Pearl! Don't do that Amber, she looks like her heads ready to fall off her shoulders!"

Pearl blinks, then grins sheepishly. She lets go of Amber and steps far back. She takes one look at Callie before she is laughing as well.

Ika tries to steady the dizzy inkling in front of him. Amber shakes her head slightly, then mock glares at Ika. "What a way to defend your girlfriend."

Ika grins nervously and says "Sorry?"

Amber seems to analyze him, and then a smug grin goes on her face. She leans closer to him and says "I'll accept if you give me a little something more Iky."

Ika's face begins to turn red, and his mouth forms a thin line. He goes to turn, and then Amber cups his cheeks in her hands and presses her mouth against his. Ika's eyes widen, and then close in bliss. He returns the kiss eagerly.

Callie cheers as she sees the sight, while Pearl makes gagging motions with her mouth. "Blegh! Get a room you two!"

Ika's eyes widen and he pulls away gently. Amber pouts up at him, then quickly removes the expression. Going back to her normal semi-apathetic state, she says "So, what's up with the sudden visit?"

Ika, shifting on his feet from the kiss, coughs and says "W-Well, Pearl here has a similar problem to you. She can summon a Killer Wail at will but can't control it, and as a result she is very loud when singing. We need to get her a limiter."

Amber's eyes widen and she looks over to Pearl in surprise. The pop idol nods her head sadly, her happy expression dimmed. Amber's eyebrows furrow and she turns back to Ika. "Well, you're in luck. I happened to keep that guy's phone number with me."

She pulls out her phone, then types in a number very quickly. She hands the phone over to Ika as it begins to ring. It takes only a couple seconds before a very familiar and techy voice appears on the other end. "_Hello?_"

Ika's eyes widen in disbelief and he yells "Sheldon?!"

"_Yes, this is me. Who is this? This certainly isn't Amber._"

Ika coughs, then says "U-Um, it's me, Ika." He turns to Amber with an annoyed look. The yellow inkling only looks at him with a smug and amused expression.

"_Ika, my boy! How are you_?"

Ika smiles and says "I'm fine, thank you, but I do need a favor."

"_Oh, what can I do for you_?"

Ika looks back at Pearl, then says "I need you to make a limiter, just like the one for Amber."

"_Oh? And just what is it needed for?_"

"Its for Pearl. She has the ability to summon a Killer Wail on command, but can't control it. As a result, she is earth-shakingly loud when singing, and I mean that in a literal sense. So, I need a limiter for a single special."

"_Hm, that does seem like a problem. Well, luckily for you and Pearl, I happened to make some extra limiters from when I was testing them. I thought at first that I would never be able to use this wondrous invention, and then Amber came to Inkopolis. She was just the person I needed to test it, and it did wonders!"_

Ika nods, a deadpan expression on his face. "Thank you for the story Sheldon, but can you give Pearl the limiter?"

"_Of course I can! Come by the shop and I'll have one ready to go for you."_

Ika smiles, then says "Thanks Sheldon." With a small noise as response, Sheldon hangs up the call.

Ika hands the phone back to Amber and turns to his sister and friend. "Looks like Sheldon has some spare limiters and he can lend one to Pearl."

Pearl cheers and jumps into the air, a very large grin on her face. She turns to Ika and Callie and says "Come on, let's go!"

She then runs over to Amber's window, the yellow inkling's eyes growing wide. Pearl opens the window, then turns into a squid on the window sill. She then super jumps towards the direction of Inkopolis square.

The three inklings cover their faces at the pink ink splatters everywhere. Amber huffs, then says "Damn it Pearl, now I need to clean this up."

She smiles at the other two inklings and says "Go on and catch up with her. I need to clean up anyways." Ika and Callie nod, then run to the window. They jump out, then super jump away. Amber watches them with a smile, then turns to the pink ink. She blinks when she sees it already disappearing. She shrugs, then goes back to her couch to play games.

The two black-haired inklings land in the middle of the square, then begin running to Ammo Knights. They see Pearl tapping her foot impatiently, waiting for them to come. Once Ika and Callie reach Pearl, the three turn and enter the shop.

Sheldon looks up as the bell in his shop rings, and he grins when he sees the trio of inklings entering. Hopping over the counter, he claps his hand and looks at them with a smile. "Nice to see you three! Come to get the limiter?"

Ika nods and Sheldon grins wider. Sheldon reaches into his jacket and grabs the limiter from his pocket. He hands the golden wristband to Pearl and says "Here we are, one limiter!"

Ika hands the limiter to Pearl, and she grabs it excitedly. She looks at it, and frowns, suddenly nervous. Sheldon sees the expression and says "No need to worry. It'll tingle quite a bit, but it won't hurt."

Pearl's mouth forms a thin as she slips the bracelet on to her wrist. Her eyes widen and she grits her beak as a massive tingle goes through her body. It subsides as quickly as it started, and Pearl is left standing there, bewildered.

She blinks, then looks at the wrist. "Did it work?"

Sheldon smiles and says "Only one way to find out. You said the danger is from singing, correct?" Pearl nods. "Then sing!"

Pearl's eyes widen, and she turns to the bracelet nervously. She gulps, then says "O-Ok then."

She opens her mouth, closing her eyes, and begins to sing.

**Rakino rakino rakinoyo ribirribittasane**

**Sharami sharami sharamiyo ****migattanonisou**

**Wizaro wizaro wizarone diraddiratta panke**

**Sharira, janpara**

**Mekidabiyasou**

Pearl breathes out, then grins widely. She turns around, turning at some point during her small verse, and says "How did I do?"

The other three were gaping at her in awe. Ika was the first to recover, but still looked at her in awe. "That… was just..."

Callie grins widely and yells "Beautiful! That was some of the best singing I've ever heard!"

Pearl blushes, suddenly feeling timid. "O-Oh! Thank you."

Sheldon claps and says "That was truly marvelous!"

His face suddenly grows serious as he says "Now Pearl, you must know this. When you take the limiter off, it will cause a similar effect to Amber when she takes her's off. It is a side effect of the limiters. When you have it off, you will be taller, stronger, and faster than most inklings. As a result, your special will be stronger too. Be careful when you take it off!"

Pearl, who was about to take the bracelet off the second she heard she could be taller, stops. She nods in understanding, bowing for extra results. Sheldon grins again and says "Now then, have fun with the rest of your day."

Pearl grins widely and says "I will! Thank you so much Sheldon!" He nods and waves as the trio leaves the shop.

Pearl breathes in the air heavily, then breathes it out in bliss. She turns to her companions and says "This is amazing! I feel so light right now, like a weight was lifted off of me!"

Callie giggles as the older inkling runs around the square again, acting more like a child than the 21 year-old she was. Callie smiles and calls out "Pearl! Shouldn't we head back to the studio?"

Pearl slows down from running, then nods. "Right, we should."

The trio then begins walking back to the studio. They enter it, giving a small greeting to the desk clerk, and enter Pearl and Marina's studio.

Ika shuts the door behind them, then says "Marina, what did you find out about the liquid?"

When he doesn't get an answer, he turns around in worry. "Marina?"

The octoling was typing something quickly, looking between her screen and the liquid rapidly. "No no no, that can't be right."

Ika walks over slowly and taps her shoulder. "Marina?"

The octoling's eyes widen immensely and she turns around quickly, lashing out. Ika's eyes widen in surprise and he ducks under the blow.

Marina looks down at her attacker, then blinks when she sees Ika. She sighs, rubbing her eyes. "I-I'm sorry Ika, I didn't know it was you."

Ika raises himself back up and says "That's fine. Just… why did you attack me like that?"

Marina shakes her head and says "I've been jumpy ever since I found out what this liquid can do."

She turns around and says "This liquid can reassemble the molecules of ink to represent that of an octarian. It works slowly, but the catalyst within it seems to be speeding up the reaction process immensely."

Ika raises an eyebrow while Callie and Pearl tilt their heads in confusion. Marina sighs, then says "I'll put it simply. This liquid can turn inklings... into octolings.


	57. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56**

The silence that filled the room was deafening. All the inklings stared at Marina in disbelief, trying to process what they heard. Marina just nods, as if expecting this, and turns back to her data table.

Ika's mind was running wild at the revelation. A liquid that can turn inklings into octolings? That shouldn't be possible! And yet, Marina says that's what it does. She hasn't been wrong yet, and she wasn't the type of person to make up something like that.

As much as he hated to admit it, that must be what the liquid did. Now, as impossible as turning inklings into octolings may be, what's the point? The inklings and octolings are on friendly terms, so why would Octavius try and change inklings?

Ika's face grows from shocked to contemplative as he thinks more on the subject. He heard Octavius saying he wanted more inklings for his army, so he obviously wants inklings to be turned into octolings, but why? What's the point?

Ika looks back at the liquid and thinks about how he found out some information on it. He was in the lab it was being made, but didn't know it did something to people until he found that room with the IV drip. That liquid must've been used to turn the inkling inside into an octoling. There was that one octoling that found him…

And then, there was Marie. She was captured and thrown into the room he found the empty IV drip in. Does… that mean?

The more Ika thought about it, the more it was beginning to fall into place. His eyes begin to widen more and more as he begins to form a picture in his head. Callie notices his eyes shifting and widening, Ika's own sign of figuring something out. "Ika, what is it?"

Ika blinks, then shakes his head to get out of the daze he was going into. He looks at Callie and frowns grimly. "I think Marie might've been turned into an octoling."

Callie's eyes widen, along with the pop duo's behind her. Callie looks at her brother in concern and says "How could you know?"

Ika begins to put on his thoughtful expression as he explains his thoughts. "Marie was captured by Octavius, who we know makes this liquid that can turn inklings into octolings. I found a room similar to the one Marie was thrown into, if not THE room she was put in. The room had an empty IV drip with small remnants inside, meaning the process already happened. Plus, now that I think about, there was one octoling that bore a very similar look to Marie. Same hairstyle and everything, but with the curly tentacles and no mask."

Ika puts a hand under his chin and says "But why does Octavius need to turn inklings into octolings? It doesn't do anything to them from what I can tell, other than changing their physical appearance. Being an octoling doesn't make you listen to people you hate, right?"

Ika was looking at Marina as he says the last part, hoping she would agree. When Marina looks down, biting her lip, his heart sinks. She looks up with a sad expression and says "There is one way for us to be controlled."

Slipping into her lecture mode slightly, she says "Octolings may have very intelligent minds normally, but our wills can be broken easily. Not in the sense that they aren't strong, no. Some octolings will fight until they die. The problem is that we don't have mental barricades, things to use against the mind control. We are naturally inclined to follow orders of leaders, and the mind control devices we have amplify those urges. More than likely, Marie has the same thing with her if she turned into an octoling."

After Ika hears the explanation, his eyes widen as he remembers something. The octoling that looked like Marie had the shades most octolings wore on. Those shades have speakers, so that means. "Marie is being mind controlled by the shades."

He looks at Marina in desperation and says "She was wearing shades when I saw her! That must be why she tried to capture me. Is there anyway to stop it?"

Marina nods and says "There is. You just have to take the shades off of her. It'll be disorienting, but it'll work without fail."

Pearl suddenly jumps between the two of them and yells "Well then let's go get her! No one controls my idol and gets away with it!"

Marina's eyes widen and she says "Pearl, your voice! It sounds so clear!"

Pearl grins and holds up the wrist with her limiter on it. "This baby works wonders! It helps me with my normal voice too it turns out."

She suddenly becomes a little more serious and says "Now, enough of that. Let's go get Marie from that punk!"

Callie steps in front of Pearl and waves her hands wildly, a nervous expression on her face. "Wait Pearl! We have a plan already, but you need to wait!"

Pearl frowns in disappointment, but nods and goes over to her chair again. She was in a good mood, so she wasn't go to fight right now.

Callie sighs in relief, then says "We plan on leaving when Mr. Grizz brings his next shipment of eggs in a couple weeks. He isn't a bad guy though, so don't worry."

Pearl raises an eyebrow in doubt, and Marina seemed uncertain. Pearl levels Callie with a small glare and says "I'll trust you, but I am still going with you guys."

Ika looks at her with uncertainty and says "I don't know, you haven't had field experience fighting like we have. And Marina certainly hasn't"

Marina nods her head in confirmation, but Pearl wasn't backing down. She jumps up from her seat and holds up the wrist with her bracelet. "I can fight! I've done turf wars all my life, and now I have this bracelet that lets me unleash my special at any time! I can come with you guys."

Ika's mouth forms a thin line and he looks to Callie. She looked as uncertain as he was. Ika sighs, then says "Well, I don't know. But judging from your face right now, you won't take no as an answer. I'll let you come."

Pearl instantly grins widely and jumps in the air with a cheer. Ika levels a small glare on her and says "But! You need some Hero Gear and weapons. Turf War weapons won't do anything against military armor, so don't even try and say otherwise."

Pearl looked a little upset, but she nods in understanding. Marina looked uncertain still, but she was shifting on her feet slightly in excitement. She's always wanted to fight in the front lines, no matter how much she enjoyed building machines.

Ika then says "When is your next news section?"

Marina and Pearl turn to the clock and see it is 4:47. Marina turns back to Ika and says "In about ten minutes."

Ika nods and says "We'll meet at the Octo Canyon pipe after you're done, k?"

Pearl and Marina nod, then turn around to get ready. The two leave the studio and walk back into the square. They go over to the grate and watch Pearl and Marina move around, getting the studio ready for the news section.

After about five minutes, another person enters the studio. He had a suit on and glasses, and also had a badge on his chest. Obviously, this person was important.

Pearl and Marina turn to the door and look surprised to see the inkling. The inkling talks with them some, then hands over a piece of paper. Marina opens the letter, Pearl trying to look at it, but failing due to her small stature.

Marina's eyes widen and she turns to look at Ika and Callie for only a second. She turns back to the inkling and nods, the inkling nodding back and leaving the studio.

Ika raises an eyebrow as he watches the whole ordeal. "What do you think that was about?"

Callie shrugs and says "I don't know, but it must be big news. That guy only delivers breaking news."

Ika nods, then looks at the screen. "I guess we'll be finding out soon enough."

Another two minutes pass, and the news jingle is emitted through the city. Pearl and Marina are seen on camera, but they weren't happy like normal. They looked upset, although Pearl looked more angry than sad.

Marina looks at the camera solemnly and says "We have breaking news everyone."

Pearl nods and says "And this ain't a joke either, so you better listen."

The screen behind Pearl and Marina switches on and shows the pictures of three inklings. One was a female with pink tentacles in a short hairstyle, another was a male with his blue tentacles set in a wild hairstyle, and another was a green inkling with shades and his tentacles slicked back.

Callie's eyes widen as she sees the last one. "Hey, that's the inkling that upset Marie!"

Ika raises an eyebrow at his sister, then turns back to the screen as Marina begins talking again. "Three inklings have turned up missing. Their names are Melody Keef, Han Todarodes, and Tyler Humboldt. They disappeared only a day ago and have not been seen since."

Pearl nods and says "If you have any information on their whereabouts, please inform the authorities as soon as possible. Thank you."

The news goes back to normal, but you could tell that Pearl and Marina weren't trying to be comedic. The sudden bombshell of three missing inklings was not something they were going to just shove off to the side.

Ika growls as he hears the report. "Three inklings missing? I bet I know who did it."

Callie looks over at him and says "But you didn't see any other inklings in the factory, right?"

Ika nods, then says "Right, I didn't, but I also didn't explore all of it. Octavius could have a prison somewhere for keeping the inklings confined until he can turn them into octolings."

Callie nods slowly, not really thinking about that. She would've just gone with what she saw right then and there and left. There was a reason Ika and Marie were often figuring things out or being on reconnaissance and not her.

After the news section ends, Pearl and Marina leave the studio. Surprisingly, none of the inklings or octolings around them even tried to swarm them. Most were discussing something with each other in hushed voices, most looking distraught. Ika could take a good guess at what the topic of conversation was.

The pop duo stops in front of Ika and Callie, looking quite upset. Marina looks at them and says "I'm assuming you heard the news?" They nod.

Pearl growls suddenly and says "Can't we go now?! We need to save those inklings along with Marie now!"

Ika shakes his head and says "No, we can't. Last time we tried to sneak in without help, I was thrown into a pit of steam and Marie was captured. It'd be better if we had a way of getting right into the factory without having to sneak around to get there. Plus, I wouldn't put it past Octavius to increase his guards to keep us out again."

Then, mumbling to himself, he says "And there were those snakes…"

Marina's eyes widen and she suddenly trembles. "D-Did y-you just say s-snakes?!"

Ika nods, and Marina whimpers slightly. "I hate snakes…" Pearl pats her back sympathetically, but looked more amused than concerned.

Ika raises an eyebrow then shakes his head in exasperation. "Alright. Let's go get you guys some gear."

Pearl nods, and Marina manages to nod through her sudden panic. The four then fall into the pipe one by one, shooting into Octo Canyon.

Ika and Callie pop out first wearing their agents gear. They didn't have their shades over their eyes though and Ika had his mask down.

Pearl and Marina pop out soon after, their colors turning to yellow, same as Ika and Callie. They look around, Marina more in remembrance than curiosity, when their eyes fall onto the agents.

Marina's eyes widen as she recognizes Ika's special suit instantly. "_The legendary Agent 7."_

Pearl on the other hand was grinning widely, looking at their suits in awe. "That is awesome! We both get our own?"

Ika nods and says "Yep. And just like we did with Octavia and Octari, you guys can customize your's. Just ask gramps and he'll do it for you."

The pop duo nods, then walks over to the cabin. Marina knocks on the door, and some shuffling is heard inside. Cap'n then opens the door and looks at Marina in surprise. "Marina! What a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?"

Marina smiles and gestures to Pearl and herself. "Me and Pearl have been given permission by Ika and Callie to go on their next mission, but we need agent gear. Can you do that?"

Cap'n looks at them in surprise, then notices his grandsquids behind them. He raises an eyebrow at them, and Ika only shrugs. Cap'n looks at Callie and she nods. He turns back to the duo in front of him and says "Alright, I can do that. Any way you'd like them?"

Pearl is the first to say something. "I'd like mine to be like my dress right now. Can you do that?" Cap'n nods, and Pearl pumps her fist with a soft 'yes!'

Marina is next and she says "I'd like mine to be similar to the old Octarian armor. It was the armor I wore when I was in the army, so it'd be the most familiar."

Cap'n nods, familiar with the old design. "I can get to it right away. Now, I am assuming you need weapons too?" They nod.

Cap'n gestures for them to enter and they follow him into the house. He points at a small cabinet and says "The Hero Weapons are in there. Take one of your choosing, but no more than one! Keep them safe, those weapons are extremely powerful."

They nod, then walk over to the cabinet as Cap'n goes elsewhere. Marina opens it up, and they find a small selection of weapons. There was a Hero version of every basic weapon type.

Pearl instantly leans for the blaster and holds it tight. She inspects it, taking in the futuristic lights and components. She grins, then straps it on her back. She could tell this was a powerful weapon.

Marina looks through the weapons some, then decides on her favorite weapon. She grabs the Hero Brella and twirls it around some. She rests it on her shoulder and smiles in satisfaction. This one would do nicely.

The two brand new agents walk out of the cabin with their weapons close at hand. The two current agents smile and Callie says "You two look ready to fight."

Pearl grabs her blaster and spins it around some, relishing the feeling she was getting from the weapon. "This bad boy is calling my name, I can feel it. I can't wait to splat some punks with this thing."

Marina opens up her brella's canopy, noting the separate trigger from the normal one. Most brellas fired their canopies automatically, and the Undercover ones never fired theirs. This one seemed to be manual, something incredibly useful and something Marina always wanted. "This Brella is going to do wonders for me."

Ika nods and says "We felt the same way with our weapons, and so did Daniel, Whinter, and Clementine. It's normal."

Pearl puts her blaster back on her back and says "So, what now?"

Ika looks out at Octo Canyon and says "As much as I'd like to go now, we can't. For now, we wait."

**-Author Notes-**

**Pearl and Marina are finally official agents! They knew of the agency ever since the Octo Expansion, but now they actually have gear and weapons. This is quite the development, huh?**


	58. Chapter 57

**Chapter 57**

The days went by slowly for the agents. One week passed since Ika's return from the factory. Octavius had somehow managed to get into Inkopolis multiple times, squidnapping ten more inklings.

Ika looks at the reports of missing inklings again. He couldn't shake the feeling that these inklings were connected.

He looks at their ranks again, looking for similarities. "A, S, S, A, and then… C. B, A, C- even. He doesn't want them for their turf war rank or fighting skills. Are these really just random?"

His taps his pen on the table idly, searching for connections. He wanted to see if these could be linked, that way he could stop any other squidnappings.

Next, he looks at their last names. "Alright, let's see. Reincoldt, Hiko, another Keef, common name… Semado. Nothing! They're all different, and some not even important!"

The hits the table a little harder this time, Ika gripping his hair tightly. He flinches when he accidently pushes too hard and hits a nerve, the tentacle twitching in irritation. He rubs the spot lightly, looking back at the paper.

A door opens up behind him and Callie walks in, clad in a nightgown. She looks at Ika with concern and says "Ika, it's almost 10. You should head to bed."

Ika shakes his head and says "No, I can't. Not when these squidnappings keep happening and I have yet to find a connection."

Callie walks over and places a hand on her brother's shoulder. She smiles sadly and says "I know that you feel like you're responsible for these squidnappings, but you can't save everyone. You'll just have to try when we get into Octavius's base."

Ika sighs, laying down his pencil. He rubs his eyes and involuntarily yawns widely, his fangs shining when exposed. He blushes in embarrassment, but his exhaustion was beginning to show.

Callie notices the actions and says "Come on, you've been looking at these documents day in and day out. You need some rest."

Ika nods, honestly too tired to care at this point. If he didn't go to his bed to sleep, he'd just fall over on his desk. He looks at the documents and his eyes land on a young female with black tentacles and piercing red eyes. Her fangs were much sharper and longer than most inklings.

Ika chuckles as he hears Callie stop walking and turn around. Mumbling to himself, and somewhat to Callie, he says "If only I were a vampire squid. Then I could stay up all night."

Callie smiles and says "Well, you are a bigfin reef squid, not a vampire squid. Let's go get some sleep."

Ika nods, and as he turns away, his eyes travel along the pictures of the squidnapped victims. His eyes narrow slightly as he notices something. "_Wait. A vampire squid, then a giant squid, and then a flying squid. Tyler was a Humboldt squid, squids known for their aggression. Are these?"_

His eyes travel along the squids more. Vampire, Giant, Firefly, Flying, Humboldt. These were all special squid species…

Ika's eyes widen as he realizes what the pattern was. He turns to Callie with a big smile and says "I figured it out!"

Callie raises an eyebrow as Ika goes over to his desk and picks up the pictures. He turns back to Callie and shows her the pictures, pointing to each one. "Each of these inklings all are special squid species, you see? A vampire squid, a giant squid, even a pygmy squid. None of them are the common pencil squids!"

Callie's eyes widen immensely at the thought. "Marie was a firefly squid, and Konton was a Colossal squid."

Ika nods. "I bet Octavius is targeting these squids for their abilities! Octolings may be able to make Octarians, and some may be giant like Octavio or a pygmy like Pearl, but none of them have the special abilities that these squids have."

Callie suddenly gets a thought. She looks at her brother in worry and says "Do you think… he could come here? We are Bigfin Reef squids after all."

Ika frowns, uncertain. "I… don't know. He hated me so much that he threw me into a pit of steam to kill me, and you were his first failed attempt at mind controlling inklings. Not to mention you took out his subordinate and attacked him when he was close to killing me."

Callie thinks back on the battle, then nods. She did do all those things that Ika said. "So, do you think he'd rather kill me instead of capturing me?"

Ika nods, beginning to feel certain. "I doubt he'd come with all you did. Marie wasn't there to fight him, so he wouldn't be as grudgeful with her. Probably why he took control of her instead of killing her. But either way, let's play it safe and keep a close eye out. With how easily Octavius's troops are getting into Inkopolis, I don't think he would pass by the chance to take us out."

Callie looks at the windows nervously, then nods. She looks at Ika's bed to her right, then says "Can I sleep with you then? I don't want to be alone with that information."

Ika nods, going over to his bed. He puts himself under the covers, Callie following on the small section she had. The two quickly drift off to sleep, their minds restless but their bodies still.

**-Midnight-**

It was midnight when Ika's eyes snap open. He doesn't move, keeping the illusion of sleep around him, but his eyes dart around the room. Something woke him up and put him on guard. Was it a sound, a sixth sense of sorts, or a false alarm?

Then, he heard it. A small shuffling outside the room. He looks at the windows and, seeing no movement outside, assumes that the person is inside.

His mind then registers a second set of footsteps in the hallway. Two sets of shuffling feet moving quietly along. "_Two of them. Are these Octavius's men?"_

A sudden voice, obviously female, is then heard. Quietly and muffled by the door, it says "Is she in here?"

The second voice, higher pitched and still female with a slight shake in it says "I-I hope so. Commander is scary when mad."

The other voice scoffs, getting closer to the door. "Pah! With your size, you could take that old fart on any day! But still, he is our leader, so let's get this done."

The door creaks open slowly, and Ika's body tenses minutely. He feels a slight shifting besides him and feels Callie's finger move just the barest distance to touch his arm. She was awake and knew what was happening.

With Callie blocking his body, Ika takes the time to analyze the intruders. The first was an octoling with her four long tentacles going to her calves. They had a webbing between them, and were jet black. "_The vampire squid?" _He also noted the octo shot in her hands and the ink knife strapped to her belt.

The second one was easily six feet tall, but was thin, not bulky like most taller people Ika has seen. Two of her tentacles framed her face, the other two longer ones trailing down her back to her lower back. She was holding an octo shot as well, but she was trembling like a leaf. "_She must be the giant squid. I've never seen octoling tentacles like that." _He also noticed that both of them were wearing the octoling shades.

The vampire… octoling grins widely at the sight of Callie. "Ah, there she is. Ready?"

The giant octoling gulps, but nods. "I-I guess so…"

The giant octoling lowers her octo shot, aiming it at Callie. Ika feels his sister tense, and he knows it is time to strike.

Without warning, Ika throws the blankets off in one go and jumps at the giant octoling/squid. Her eyes widen and the octo shot leaves her hand. Ika slams into her and the two fall to the ground, the giant octoling gasping as her head hits the ground. She was unconscious before she could process the pain.

The vampire octoling looks at them in surprise, then growls. She raises her octo shot, when Callie jumps on her from behind. The vampire octoling's eyes widen in surprise and the two begin tussling.

Ika stands up from on top of the giant octoling and looks back at the two fighting squids. He watches as Callie jumps back from her enclosed position behind the bed. She lands next to Ika and the two look at the vampire octoling in warning.

The vampire looks between them, obvious from the shifting of her head. She growls, then raises her octo shot. Her eyes widen when she sees nothing but air.

Callie smirks and raises the octo shot now in her hands. The vampire octoling suddenly sees red and roars as she charges them down.

Callie frowns and brings the hand with the octo shot back. The vampire octoling leaves the ground, her long and deadly fangs shown clearly by the dim light. Callie's hand rockets forwards and slams right into the vampire octoling's head. She crumples to the ground in a helpless heep.

Ika looks at his sister with a small smile. "Wow Callie. For one, you little thief." Callie just giggles, spinning the octo shot in her hands.

Ika's smile then becomes slightly joking as he says "Two, I didn't think you could get up this late."

Callie looks at her brother with a small glare and says "I can wake up fast when the time is important. Now was important."

Ika shrugs, then says "Three, what do we doe with these two?"

They look at the two unconscious octolings… or squids on the floor. Callie goes over to the vampire octoling and says "First, let's get these shades off."

Ika nods, going over to the giant octoling. They both pull the shades off of both octolings at the same time. The octolings shudder and begin groaning in pain. Their eyes scrunch up and their faces become flushed, but the shades were off.

Ika then says "Alright, now let's let them rest. Help me bring them to the living room please." Callie nods, then grunts slightly as she picks up the unconscious vampire octoling. Ika grunts much louder as he picks up the octoling who was at least a foot and a half taller than himself.

They manage to bring the octolings to the living room and place them on the couches. Ika sighs in relief as he puts the giant octoling down. "Man she was heavy. Alright, let's go to bed."

Callie nods with a yawn. The two then go back to Ika's room to get some well deserved rest.

**-Morning-**

Ika's eyes flicker slightly as the sun light hits them. He frowns, then shifts onto his side. He sighs, then opens his eyes. He squints in the light, letting them adjust gradually. Eventually, he is able to see clearly.

He looks at the clock on his bed stand and finds it to be 8. He looks to his side and finds Callie still sleeping. "_The fight must've gotten her tired. She usually is up by now."_

Ika takes the blankets off carefully and gets dresses into some better clothing. He was looking through his closet when he hears a sudden crash.

His eyes widen immensely and his eyes snap to the door to his left. A voice utters a curse and another one, more timid and softer, says "Angie!"

The other voice, rougher and more tomboyish sounding, says "Sor-ry ok? I didn't mean to break that plate."

Ika has heard enough and quickly grabs his black hoodie. He throws it on and puts on a spare face mask he has with it. Bringing the hood up, he was sure he was completely disguised.

He opens the door as he hears the two talking. They suddenly hush as the door squeaks, but Ika is unconcerned. He walks into the living room, and is instantly struck with a frying pan.

He falls to the ground with stars in his eyes. The vampire octoling grins widely, her blood red eyes flashing in satisfaction. "Ha! Got him."

The giant octoling covers her mouth and says "Wait! Isn't he?"

The vampire squid turns and says "What? What is it Madie?"

Madie, the giant octoling, points at Ika's exposed eyes. "Look at his eyes Angie!"

Angie, the vampire octoling, looks at Ika's eyes. Her own eyes widen when she sees the unique Calamarian plus-shaped pupils. "Oh shit! I just smacked Callie's brother with a frying pan." She suddenly grins and says "Nice one Angie."

Madie frowns and lightly slaps the vampire octoling's arm. She recoils slightly at the touch and looks at her friend with a confused expression. Madie sighs, then turns to Ika with a friendly smile. "I'm sorry Mr. Ika, Madie wasn't thinking."

Ika grabs the hand and picks himself off the ground. He clutches his head, gritting his beak in pain. He cracks an eye open and levels a glare on the vampire octoling. She suddenly stands stock still and begins looking around rapidly, obviously trying to avoid Ika's gaze.

Ika sighs, then says "Hit me with a frying pan again and I will not guarantee you will be alive." Angie gulps, then nods rapidly.

Now that the pain was subsiding to a dull throb, he could really take in the two in front of him.

Madie was the giant squid. She had a small, nervous smile and her hands were close to her chest. Her clothing was the same as most octolings, and it was at least her size. Her eyes were a bright green, and the eye ring around them was pitch black, different to the blackish purple most octolings had.

He looks at the vampire squid next. Angie had a very arrogant and tempered pose, her hip stuck out and her hand places right on it. She had a shapely figure and obviously wasn't afraid to show it off. Her clothing was the same as Madie's, and her eye rings were the same pitch black.

Angie frowns, then says "Alright big boy, enough staring. Why are we hear, and why are we like… this?!" She gestures to one of her octopus tentacles in what looked like disgust.

Ika raises an eyebrow as he notices something. Most octoling tentacles swayed or curled on their own, a sign of the Octarian within it. Angie's tentacles were moving only when she moved, not moving on their own. Ika smiles grimly. "_Seems like some things didn't change Octavius."_

Madie's small smile wavers slightly as she says "I-I'm sorry for Angie's rude behavior, but I am curious as to why I am suddenly an octoling as well." She grips her tentacle and rubs a suction cup gently. Her face flushes, but she doesn't flinch or make any outward motions. "_Must be a calming mechanism. Interesting."_

Ika sits on the couch, then says "Well, you two were one of the squidnapped inklings that was announced on the news."

He watches as the two octolings/inklings look between the two of them. Angie nods and says "Some bastards came by my house and tried taking me. I put a fight and bit one of them, but then I was knocked out. Next thing I remember is waking up on YOUR couch."

She raises an eyebrow and looks at him in suspicion. "How do I know YOU aren't the squidnapper?"

"Because why would he squidnap innocent inklings?" The two look up, then gasp as they see Callie walk out of the room. She was smiling at them gently, and she was wearing her normal casual outfit.

Angie shrugs suddenly and says "Welp, Callie says no, so I say 'Screw this interrogation, I am done.'" Ika looks at the vampire squid in confusion.

Madie seems to shrink inwards and looks at the ground behind her. Callie takes a step forwards, and Madie shrinks more. The pop star stops as she sees this and looks at her brother in confusion. Ika looks between Callie and Madie, then says "Madie?"

The giant squid looks at Ika in curiosity, but kept far from Callie's line of sight. Ika smiles gently and says "Come on, meet Callie. She's my sister right now, not the big shot pop star."

Madie looks at Callie, taking in her welcoming presence. She shuffles slightly, then makes her way to Callie. She stops in front of her, still looking down. Callie giggle slightly, then moves a hand forwards slowly. Madie flinches, but doesn't move back as Callie lifts her chin.

Callie grins as she sees Madie lock eyes with her. "Now I get to see those eyes. That is a brilliant hue of green Madie. You should be proud."

Madie suddenly blushes as green as her eyes and turns around quickly, whimpering in embarrassment. Callie chuckles nervously, her hand stuck in the air.

Ika grins and says "Well, that was interesting." He goes to Madie and says "You ok?"

She nods and slowly makes her way to a couch. She sits down, Angie sitting next to her. She glares at Ika, taking cursory glances at Callie. Ika takes notice of the protective arm around Madie's shoulder.

Callie then says "So you two, how do you feel."

Angie shrugs, lifting her tentacle. "Well, I'm assuming you mean being an octoling. Feels weird with the suction cups all over instead of the big one at the end. My teeth are different, and my eyesight is really sharp for some reason. My ears feel weird and just plain hurt."

Madie nods and says "I-I feel the same. I-I don't p-particularly dislike it, but i-it is uncomfortable."

Ika then says "Have you tried squid forms yet?"

Angie takes one look at her octopus tentacle before making retching motions. "Blegh! Become an octopus?! No way!"

Angie goes to rest her arm back down, but grabs nothing but air. She raises an eyebrow and looks down. She screams when she sees an Octavio sized octopus sitting next to her. Madie gurgles slightly, her eyes shut in uncertainty.

Ika raises an eyebrow at the shape of Madie's head. "_Her head is slightly pointed on the sides, just like a squid's. They must not have changed completely when in their octopus forms."_

He files the thought to the side, then says "Sorry for the sudden questions, but we needed them if we wanted to help the authorities and the agents capture the guy who did this."

Angie looks at him and says "Well, thanks for that. Now… can we go?"

Madie reverts back to normal and nods, wanting the same thing. Ika nods, then says "Alright, but I want you to stay with Pearl and Marina for a little while. Marina will help you get adjusted to being octolings, and she can try to figure out a way to revert you back to normal."

Madie's eyes widen at the thought of living with two pop stars, but Angie just nods. "Sure sure, we'll go see them. Thanks bud."

Angie grabs Madie's arm and practically drags her out of the studio. Madie was just lost with the thought of living with a pop duo as famous as Off the Hook.

Ika sighs, then says "That was a strange morning."

Callie nods, agreeing fully. "It sure was." She smiles and gets up, walking to the kitchen. "Pancakes?"

Ika smiles widely, hunger easily seen on his expression. "You know just what makes me happy." Callie giggles, then wipes up some delicious pancakes. The morning was filled with their happy munching.

**-Author Notes-**

**Sorry if this chapter felt chaotic and random, but it does establish something important. Octavius plans on squidnapping special squids, and he also wants to kill Ika and Callie! Two inklings turned octolings are freed, but gave no vital information with their memory gap. Things are getting good.**


	59. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

After eating their breakfast, the two black-haired inklings leave Ika's house and go to the square. They were talking animatedly with each other along the way.

They enter the square, and Ika's ears twitch at a foreign sound. He looks around, then pin points its location at the news studio. He looks over and see Angie and Madie trying to get into the studio, but a guard not letting them.

Ika looks at them with a slightly exasperated expression and says "I forgot to give them something to get in, didn't I?" Callie nods her head, a small smile on her face.

Ika sighs and the two make their way across the road to the news studio. Angie turns away from the guard with a hmph, then looks at the two approaching inklings in surprise.

She glares at Ika and says "Hey Ika! You didn't tell us we needed something to get in!"

Ika sighs again and says "I know. I completely forgot how tight security can be here without a good status."

He looks at the guard who easily towered over himself. "Please let them in. They're with us."

The guard raises an eyebrow, then nods. He steps to the side and goes back to scanning the square. Ika gestures for the two octolings to follow and the four enter into the studio.

Once again giving only a quick 'hello' to the desk clerk, they pass into the studio hallway. They stop at Studio 1 and enter.

Pearl and Marina look back as they hear the door open again. Pearl grins and says "Only a week and you are back in the studio. What's up?"

The two siblings step to the side and the pop duo gets a full view of the transformed inklings. Pearl whistles, her eyes wide. "Woah! You two look amazing."

Angie looks at the short squid in front of her and says "Pearl, right? The one from Off the Hook?"

Pearl grins and does her pose, while still sitting. "The one and only."

Angie seems to glare at her some, then does a 180 and pulls a pen and poster out of her bag. "Can I have your autograph?! I am a HUGE fan of yours!"

Pearl laughs and says "Of course!" She takes the pen and does a quick signature on the poster, even drawing a chibi Pearl on it. Angie grabs it and squeals loudly, holding the poster tightly.

Marina was more interested in the octolings' appearances than their loving of them. "A… vampire octoling? And… you are big for an octoling. Are you two actually inklings?"

Angie stops jumping around in excitement, looking at Marina. She nods and says "Yeah, we are. Iky over here" Ika groans and Callie laughs loudly. "Told us some guy squidnapped us and turned us into octolings."

Marina takes in more of their appearance, taking in the slight differences between them and a normal octoling. "Black rings, tentacles not moving, even the ears are still slightly pointed. You definitely aren't normal octolings."

Ika steps forwards and says "I thought it would be best for you to teach them how to handle being octolings until we figure out a way to reverse this."

Marina nods and says "I could do that. It would be very interesting to say the least."

She looks at Ika and says "What do you plan on doing in the meantime?"

Ika's face suddenly becomes grim and determined and he says "I'm going to try and inform as many people as possible of who is being squidnapped. If we can get the targets to defend themselves, we could probably reduce the numbers."

Pearl raises an eyebrow at that last part. "Reduce? Don't we want to stop it completely?"

Ika nods, but his face was still grim. "We do, but I doubt we can. Every squid Octavius successfully takes is another soldier in his army, meaning more soldiers for squidnapping. I have no doubt that no matter whether we warn them or not, the warning won't be enough to save them."

Pearl looks like she is about to retort when Callie says "Pearl, he's right. We can't save everyone."

The words die on Pearl lips at that. Callie was a well of energy and optimism, always looking for the bright side of things. If she thought not everyone could be saved, then things must be that bad. The pygmy squid nods, begrudgingly accepting their point.

Ika then smiles slightly and waves at them. "I'll leave you guys to it then. Bye!" The pop duo and the two octolings wave at the siblings as they leave the studio.

Once they get outside again, Ika pulls out the folder he kept the squidnapping reports in. he shuffle through it, looking for some clues on the next person. "Let's see here. What patterns is Octavius making with these squidnappings other than them being special squids?"

He sits on the alley ground and lays the papers out in front of him. He begins to analyze each of them, Callie looking over his shoulder. Ika kept looking at names and rankings, searching for any patterns, even a pattern in the species taken, but he couldn't find any.

Callie suddenly points at a report, her eyes wide. "Wait! Look at the addresses." Ika looks at the address Callie was pointing at. "Blackbelly road? That's near Blackbelly Skate Park, right?"

Callie nods and points to the next one. "And look at this one." Ika looks and his eyes widen slightly. "Blackbelly road again…"

His sister points at the next report and he sees it is Madie's address. "Seakelp Drive. Interesting name… but isn't that near Kelp Dome?"

Callie nods. "Seeing the pattern yet?" Ika doesn't respond and continues to look. The addresses were all near Blackbelly Skatepark and Kelp Dome. There had to be a reason for that…

His eyes widen suddenly as he remembers something. "The octoling invasions three years ago. They happened at Blackbelly Skatepark and Kelp Dome. You don't think?"

Callie smiles, nodding enthusiastically. "I think so! Octavius must still have access to the kettles leading to Blackbelly Skatepark and Kelp Dome."

Ika scratches his head in confusion at that. "But aren't those kettles in Octavio's palace? How would he get to them?"

Callie shrugs, uncertain. "I don't know, but the important thing is that he is in those areas."

Ika nods, getting rid of the thoughts on how Octavius did it. "Right. Now that we know the area, we can go ask gramps if he has any info on the squids there." Callie nods in agreement.

Ika collects the reports and puts them back in the folder, tucking them into his bag. The two then head over to the grate leading to Octo Canyon. They jump in without a second thought.

The two pop out of the grate with their hero gear on. They walk over to the cabin and knock on the door loudly. They hear some shuffling and mumbling, and the door opens.

Cap'n blinks in surprise, then smiles at his grandsquids. "Well hello squiddos! What can I do for you?"

Ika pulls the folder out of his bag and says "We've been investigating the recent squidnappings and we finally got a pattern down."

He lays the reports on the bench outside, Cap'n stepping out of his hut to take a look. He suddenly lurches slightly, groaning as he grabs his back.

Ika's eyebrows furrow in worry at the sudden action. "Gramps? You ok?"

Cap'n nods, waving him off. "Just back pains. Happens to old squids like me." Ika isn't completely sure, but he does go back to the reports.

He gestures to the species first. "As you see, all of the squids kidnapped have some sort of natural ability from their species. Not a single pencil squid, skilled or otherwise, was squidnapped."

Cap'n nods, already noticing the connection. Ika then points at the addresses and says "And the addresses are all around Blackbelly Skatepark and Kelp Dome. We think Octavius may have access to kettles leading to the areas."

Cap'n strokes his beard in thought. "Hmm. If they do have access to those areas, and judging by the evidence they do, then we need to close those locations down. We don't want a turf war happening and getting more squidnapped in the battle."

Ika's eyes widen at the thought. "I didn't even think about that." Cap'n smiles.

Ika files the thought away and says "Now the main reason we came."

Cap'n smiles again and says "You want information on the squids living in those areas."

Ika was about to speak, then stops. He lowers his hand and says "Y-Yeah. How did you know?"

Cap'n shrugs and says "It'd be what I'd do." Ika blinks again in surprise, then nods slowly.

Cap'n reaches into his jumpsuit's pocket and pulls out a phone. He taps on it some, then says "Here we are. I'll send this file to your phone. It'll have all the info on squids living within five blocks of those two areas."

Cap'n suddenly begins grumbling, tapping furiously. "Dagnabit. How do I do that again?"

Callie steps around them and looks at the phone. She presses it a few times and Ika's phone suddenly chimes. He pulls it out and finds an email with the file. He smiles and says "Got it."

Cap'n sighs, then says "Thank you Callie." Callie nods with a smile.

Cap'n, putting a hand behind his back like normal, says "Was there anything else I can do?"

Ika shakes his head. Cap'n nods and says "Alrighty then. Go and save some squids." The two siblings nod with a determined smile on their face.

They jump back into the grate and pop out in the square, but they keep their hero gear on. If they wanted to help these squids, they'd need to be seen as agents, not a pop star and her brother. It would be suspicious for the latter to have that much information.

They sit on a bench and Ika begins shuffling through his phone, ignoring the looks they got from passing inklings and octolings.

He scrolls by multiple pencil squids and common squids, even some Calamarian squids. Every time they saw a special squid though, they marked it and kept scrolling.

After about five minutes, they had marked every squid in that area. There were about ten special squids around Blackbelly Skatepark, and four around Kelp Dome.

Ika looks at them and says "Well, I guess we better get started." Callie nods, and the two go off to warn the squids.

-Blackbelly Road-

They stop running and slow down in front of the first house. They walk up the steps, then knock on the door.

The doorknob rattles, and then the door opens. The inkling standing there had some webbing on his arms, and the bottom of his hair was white. He was wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts, and his tentacles were orange, other than the white part.

He looks at the two agents in surprise, then says "U-Um, can I help you?"

Ika nods and says "We are Agents 7 and 2. We've come to warn you of something important."

The inklings narrows his eyes and says "Warn me? Of what?"

Ika pulls out a paper they made on their way and shows it to the inkling. "We have found that they squidnappings are all occurring in this area, and the assailants are only taking special squids."

The inkling's eyes widen and he says "Like me, a flying squid."

Ika nods and says "Correct. The solution is simple. Get your weapons and be prepared for tonight. You could very well be the next target."

The inkling nods and says "Alright. I'll get my splatling ready, and go hide my sister."

Ika nods, pleased the inkling was so accepting. "Thank you. We hope you do well." The inkling nods, then closes the door.

Most of the other houses went the same way. They managed to get all the way to Seakelp Road before the had problems.

The last house was located on the far end of Seakelp Road. They knock on the door, feeling good at how well the inklings were believing them.

The door opens, and a massive and bulky inkling is seen standing there. Ika's eyes narrow slightly at that. "A colossal. First one seen, and yet I am already getting a bad feeling."

The colossal regards the two agents in front of him with a small glare. "And what do you pipsqueaks want?"

Ika pulls out the document and says "We have found that the squidnappings are all happening in this area, and the assailants are only taking special squids."

Taking the paper roughly, the colossal regards it for a few seconds. He suddenly scoffs and throws the paper in the air. Callie jumps and catches it, regarding the colossal with an angry expression.

The colossal laughs suddenly and says "Let them come! I won't need weapons to deal with these guys."

Ika's mouth forms a thin line behind his mask. "Sir, we recommend weapons. These aren't turf war fighters but trained soldiers."

The colossal laughs some more and says "Just more challenges for me."

He then levels a glare on the agents and says "Now, get out of here." He then steps back and slams the door shut.

The two agents look at the door, dumbfounded. They look at each other, both of them getting a bad feeling. They then walk away, satisfied that MOST of the inklings were warned and prepared.

-Night-

An octoling runs through the factory at high speeds. He was bruised and hurting quite a bit, but he needed to report. He would get something far worse otherwise.

He bursts into the office room, instantly kneeling at the sight of his commander. "Commander, I have some troubling news."

Octavius raises an eyebrow at the bruised and battered form in front of him. "And what is that?"

The octoling gulps, uncertain how his commander would react. "T-The squids you targeted tonight, they were somehow prepared. They had weapons and were expecting us. I was the only one not splatted."

Octavius's eyes narrow dangerously. "Is that so? And you are certain that this wasn't some fluke?"

The octoling shakes his head, his whole body shaking. "N-No sir, I doubt it was. My troops are highly trained and aren't prone to mistakes."

Octavius regards the octoling in front of him, relishing the fear rolling off of him. He then suddenly snaps his fingers and says "Captain, take him to the pits."

The octoling's eyes widen and he says "B-But sir!"

Octavius waves a finger and says "Ah ah ah! You failed me, and you know the price of failure."

The color seems to drain from the octoling soldier's face as he hears that. The door opens, and the giant octoling captain hoists the soldier on his shoulder, then carries him away.

Octavius twirls a small stick in front of him idly. "Hmm. Ready for us? That won't do."

He suddenly smiles and says "But it is the perfect opportunity to rid myself of those pesky agents."

He snaps his finger again and two octolings run into the room. One had webbing on his arms and the other was just as massive as the captain.

Octavius levels a small glare on them and says "Your job is to go with the next night's squidnapping team. Take down the resistance and get the agents over there. I want them disposed of."

The octolings nod and leave the room. Octavius leans back in his chair, twirling the stick again.

"Are you sure it'll work?" Octavius stops twirling the stick and looks to the side lazily. Another octoling was there, looking at him from behind her shades, her tentacles in a bow.

"Ah, General. What makes you think it won't work?"

General straightens and says "The agents are formidable foes, and even with the abilities those two possess, they may not be able to defeat them, let alone kill them."

Octavius's grip on the stick tightens dangerously before he reminds himself that the octoling had shades on. She wouldn't disobey him, she simply couldn't. "And what do you propose we do then, Ms. General?"

General, still grim faced, then says "I suggest something to lower their morale, keep them from fighting to their fullest, something to make them prone to mistakes."

Octavius raises an eyebrow and General could see that he wanted her to hurry. She then says "I suggest an assassination."

Octavius raises an eyebrow and says "Of who?"

General regards him seriously and says "The one who they hold dearer than all else, and the one who commands their operations."

Octavius's eyes widen, and he suddenly smiles. It was filled with malice and wickedness. "Ah, the old fool. He would be the perfect target."

Octavius then says "Since you are the one who suggested it, I assign you with the task General. Carry it out the same time as the squidnappings. I want to make absolutely sure that they cannot defend the old man." General nods, quickly leaving the room to prepare.

The commander of the renegade army then goes back to twirling his stick around, but with a much more pleased expression. "You will rue the day you crossed paths with me, agents. I hope you are ready, because I want to see you begging at my feet."

With a sickly grin, Octavius snaps the stick in two.

**-Author Notes-**

**Chapter is a bit shorter, but once again more important events are happening. Within the next day or two, something big will happen...**


	60. Chapter 59

Chapter** 59**

The next day, the announcement was made that Blackbelly Skatepark and Kelp Dome would be closed because of technical issues. The populace was upset, but didn't think anything of it. No one knew the real reason.

Ika thanks the pop duo for giving the announcement. "After figuring out exactly where Octavius was coming from, we couldn't risk any additional squidnappings. Thanks for announcing this."

Marina nods with a small smile. "It was no issue. It was easy to tell everyone it was for technical issues. No one would be freaked out that way."

Pearl nods and says "Plus, with that reason, it would keep the more rebellious ones from sneaking in. No one with half a brain would do a turf war where the respawn points are broken."

Ika nods, thankful for the insight those two had. "Once again, thank you. Things should hopefully be safer in the areas, but me and Callie are gonna get the others to try and increase the protection."

The pop duo nods, and the two siblings make their leave. After exciting the studio, Ika pulls out his phone and enters the agents' group chat.

**-7 joined the chatroom**

**7: Hey guys, I need some help. Me and Callie found out the area the squidnappings are happening, so we'd like it if you could come and meet us at Octo Canyon to be debriefed. The more the merrier they say.**

He shuts his phone off and says to Callie "I told them. Hopefully they are all available."

With that, the two siblings make their way to the Octo Canyon entrance. They hop in, being sent off to the canyon instantly.

They jump out of the pipe with their hero gear on and wave at their grandpa, who happened to be sitting outside. With a smile, Ika says "Hey gramps! How you doing?"

Cap'n Cuttlefish doesn't respond, simply laying in his chair like normal. Ika was getting a bad feeling suddenly.

Callie rolls her eyes, a small smile on her face. "Snoozing as usual gramps?"

Ika shakes his head slowly, his eyebrows furrowed in worry. "I-I don't think he's sleeping."

Callie raises an eyebrow, looking at her brother. She turns back and walks forwards slowly, suddenly concerned. Now that Ika said something, she was getting a bad feeling as well.

She touches his shoulder, and Cap'n doesn't respond. She prodes a little harder, but her grandpa wasn't moving.

Her eyes grow wider as she whispers "Grandpa?" She shakes him a little, but not too hard. He was fragile, no matter if he said otherwise.

But, in her sudden panic at her grandpa's unresponsiveness, she shakes him harder. "Grandpa?!"

Her eyes were filling with tears, and Ika could only look with wide eyes. He suddenly runs over and grabs Callie to stop her shaking. "Callie, stop!"

His sister just walks back with him, her eyes filled with tears. Ika goes around her and looks her in the eyes, saying "Let's check first, ok?"

Callie sniffles, then nods. Ika nods with a small smile, then turns to his grandpa. He puts two fingers to his grandpa's neck, hesitant, as if touching him would confirm the worst. He presses on the old squid's neck, and feels a thump. And another.

He sighs quietly in relief and says "He's alive." Callie blinks in surprise, then smiles. Ika suddenly frowns, feeling the pulse more. "But… his pulse is weak."

He looks at his grandpa, checking for his breathing. It was there, but slow and raspy. "His breathing is harsh. Something is wrong."

Callie's eyes become filled with worry again. "W-What are we going t-to do?"

Ika was about to respond, when a he hears a loud "HEY!"

The two look to the side and see Amber running to them, Octavia, Octari, and another octoling with a white coat right behind them.

Amber stops running as they reach the cabin and says "Hey Ika, Callie. Sorry about this, but the paramedic here needs to check on Cap'n."

The paramedic instantly goes to work examining Cap'n. While he did that, Ika says "What's wrong with him?"

Amber shakes her head, uncertain. "I don't know. Me, Eight, and Dedf1sh came down here to see Cap'n, and everything was fine. Suddenly he just shakes violently, grasping his chest. He went down like a brick, his eyes wide and his whole body spazzing. I looked for only a second before jumping to Ceph City to get a paramedic."

Ika notices something wrong with that and says "Why didn't you just go to Inkopolis?"

Amber gestures around them and says "Do you really want people to find the Cuttlefish Cabin? We have that separate kettle at the train station for a reason." Ika nods, not really thinking about that.

The paramedic puts his equipment away and turns to Amber. "He is fine. It was a simple heart stop by his old body. Those are not dangerous because of the three hearts we all have, but he is starting to shut down from old age. I suggest keeping him bed and keeping an eye on him."

Amber nods, and the paramedic super jumps away. She sighs, then says "In that cause, I'll keep an eye on him. I got the medic and want to see this through."

Ika then says "I'll join you. He's my grandpa, I ain't leaving him alone in this state." Amber nods with a smile.

Callie agress, along with Octavia and Octari. The five decide to just stick together and watch over him all at once. They all loved the old man, and none of them wanted to leave him alone.

**-Night-**

Octavius calls in his squidnapping team. All six of them had Octo Shots and were well trained. Looking at the leader of the team, he says "You will be having two additions to the team today."

Snapping his fingers, two of his converted inklings walk into the room. The leader notes how useful the massive octoling will be, but the other was uncertain.

Pointing at the flying octoling with his Octo Shot, he then says "Pardon me for this Commander, but what will he do? I can understand the colossal with his incredible strength, but what about the flying squid?"

Octavius nods, as if expecting the question. "A good question. You see, flying squids have the incredible ability to use an energized ink to take flight. Using their webbing on their arms, the can then hover there, or at least fall very slowly. They can aim while in the air, so they make amazing snipers."

The leader notices the Octarian military sniper rifle, the Tentacharger, in the flying octoling's hands. The leader nods and says "Of course."

Octavius then waves them off and says "You have your targets. Please hurry, I do hate being kept waiting." The leader nods, and the team of eight quickly leaves the room.

Octavius strokes the head of one of his serpents as he says "Now General, the time has come. Make haste and dispose of the old fool."

General steps out of the shadows, her shades glowing red and a Tentacharger in hand. "I will."

**-Tentakeel Outpost-**

Everyone was sleeping peacefully, except for Ika. Because of his innate ability to be wide awake with little sleep, he volunteered to be the one to watch Cap'n.

It was easily close to midnight now, and he was beginning to feel slightly sleepy. He shakes the sleep off though and continues to read his story, trying desperately to fend off the boredom.

Cap'n suddenly coughs violently and Ika's phone is practically thrown from his hands. He leaps to his feet, rushing to his grandpa's side.

He watches as the coughing fit passes, and his grandpa goes back to a peaceful sleep. Ika sighs, then goes back to his phone.

Suddenly, he gets a notification. He raises an eyebrow and presses it. A video opens up, the volume low.

It showed a news reporter in their studio, one of the lesser known ones from the news studio. The screen behind showed Kelp Dome with a smoke pillar above it.

The reporter then says "Smoke has been seen at Kelp Dome at this time tonight. The authorities are puzzled by this and are trying to investigate, but some of them are having issues getting to the scene."

"As of now, no people are on scene. But whatever it is, this can't be good." The video closes, leaving Ika to his thoughts.

He looks out of the bedroom to the living room. He looks at the sleeping agents, then sighs in regret. "_They are going to hate me for this."_

Pulling out his phone again and putting the volume on max, he begins playing Calamari Inkantation.

Callie's eyes shoot open and she yelps in surprise, her head shooting upwards. It slams into the couches side where Amber was sleeping, and the previously sleeping agent falls off the couch with an _oomph._

She lands on top of Octari, whose breath instantly leaves her. She pushes on Amber, trying to get her off and kicking her feet. Her leg kicks to the side and slams into Octavia's head, causing the half-sanitized octoling to groan in pain.

Ika watches this chain reaction with a wide-eyed expression. "_I am uncertain whether to be concerned or amused." _Seeing everyone's grumpy faces, he decides to go for the former and not laugh.

He then says "Sorry for the rude awakening, but we have a problem. Smoke was seen at Kelp Dome, and it was posted on the live news."

Callie's eyes widen as she picks herself up off the ground. "Do you think it is Octavius?"

Ika nods. "I have no doubt. We need to get over there and help the inklings defend themselves. I ain't passing by this chance when we have it."

The agents nod, all knowing the severity of the situation. They all grab their hero armor, discarded when going to bed. With their weapons by the door, they all grab them and leave the cabin one by one.

Just as Ika goes to leave, Amber grabs his shoulder. He turns with a quizzical expression and she says "I'll stay to watch Cap'n. He'll need someone in case he gets another fit."

Ika nods, then turns away. The other three agents were waiting for him, and then they all jump into the pipe.

A single set of eyes, hidden by the dark and her shades, looks away from the departing agents and back to the house. Amber closes the door, and the intruder knows it is time to strike.

**-Inkopolis-**

The four agents quickly super jump to Kelp Dome once they enter Inkopolis. They land on the outskirts of the greenhouse, then look around.

Octari's eyes widen as she notices something. She taps Ika's shoulder and he looks over. His eyes widen when he sees the colossal inkling from before struggling against four octolings. Two were watching, but had their Octo Shots raised, ready to fire.

Ika looks back at the smoke tower then turns to the agents. "Me and 2 will check out the smoke. Eight and Dedf1sh, you two go and get those octolings off of the colossal." The two octolings nod and run to the fighting group, their weapons out and ready.

The two Calamarian inklings then turn to the smoke and run towards it quickly. They get to the door leading to Kelp Dome and run inside the turf war arena. They see the smoke in the middle, on the tower in the center.

Running to a close ramp onto the upper walkway, they run to the middle. They turn a corner, giving them a clear view of the middle, and stop.

A giant octoling, colossal even, was standing there. He was grinning widely, fangs glinting in the light. A fire was next to him, and he was idly fanning it to increase the smoke levels.

Ika looks at the octoling in caution, noting the shades on his head. "What are you doing here?"

The colossal octoling shrugs, then says "Following orders."

Ika raises an eyebrow, then flinches as a light hits his eyes. His eyes widen when he sees the red dot on his chest. "Move!"

Callie and Ika jump to the side, just as a high powered beam of ink flies right through where they were standing. Ika picks himself up, looking at the sky for the attacker. His eyes widen when he sees an octoling with webbing on his arms and holding a Tentacharger. "A flying squid!"

The flying octoling takes aim again, and Ika rolls out of the way. The ink flies by, barely missing him.

Ika looks at the colossal and the flying octoling. He grits his beak and says "We can take down the colossal, but how do we get the flying one?!"

Callie suddenly grins, her shades flashing. "Leave it to me." Her leg turns slightly magenta, and she rockets into the air.

Ika grins widely as he sees the two octolings watch her with surprise. The colossal turns to him with a growl and says "Well, let's see how you do without help, pipsqueak."

Ika rolls his eyes, preparing his brush. "You colossals are all the same. Big words, small brain."

The colossal's eye twitches and he growls louder. "I'm gonna kill ya for that!"

The giant roars and begins charging him down. Ika wipes the humor off of his face and focuses only on the enemy in front of him.

Once the giant got close, Ika steps to the side, but keep his brush in place. The colossal grins suddenly and kicks his leg full force into the brush. Ika's eyes widen at the strength the colossal showed. He kept the brush in his hands, but it felt like his arm was going to be ripped off. The colossal barrels past him afterwards.

Ika turns around, watching as the colossal does the same, but much more confidently. Ika shakes his hand, trying to rid it of the pain he felt from that kick.

The colossal grins at the obvious pain his foe was in. "Heh. You're lucky. No one can survive a colossal's attack full force."

Mumbling to himself, not loud enough to be heard, Ika says "I'm starting to believe that. I'll need to be careful."

The colossal then reaches into his bag. Ika raises an eyebrow as he begins rummaging inside it. The octoling grins suddenly and pulls out a large set of metal gauntlets. He puts them on, watching as they get coated in a small layer of ink. He slams then together with a smirk, issuing a challenge.

Ika, not one to back down, slams his brush on the ground. Now, the two were officially dueling. The colossal's grin widens and he says "And now the real fun begins."

He then rockets forwards, his footsteps cracking the ground with the force. Ika's eyes widen in surprise at the octoling's speed, but he wasn't unprepared.

Ika jumps to the side, his brush ready to swing. He flicks it forwards, sending a large wave of ink at the colossal.

The colossal cocks his fist back, then slams it into the ink wave. Ika's eyes widen immensely as he sees the wave simply burst apart around the octoling, not a single drop touching him.

The colossal then charges right into Ika, jamming his elbow in Ika's stomach. Ika coughs up red ink as he feels all the air leave his body at once.

He's sent flying backwards, slamming into the wall opposite of the tower. He peels himself out of it slightly, then perks up as he hears a roar. He looks up, then makes a noise of surprise as he sees the colossal jumping off the tower, his fist cocked back.

Ika pulls himself out of the wall completely and falls to the ground. The colossal slams his fist into the wall just a second after, barely missing his adversary.

The colossal doesn't let up though and continues to charge Ika. Barely able to keep his brush in hand, Ika tries desperately to avoid the punches. He barely is able to dodge them, and the two begin dancing around the tower in a game of cat and mouse.

Meanwhile, the flying octoling was getting annoyed at Callie's bunny hopping. He aims down the scope, trying to get a good shot on her, but couldn't. She was moving too quickly.

Callie jumps at a higher tower, then suddenly springs off of it towards the octoling above. The flying octoling's eyes widen in surprise and he fumbles to aim at her, but he was too slow. Callie brings her roller up and slams it right on top of the flying octoling.

He shoots towards the ground like a rocket, creating a plume of smoke from where he landed. The flying octoling grits his beak in pain, pushing on the ground to pry himself out of the hole. His body was coated in ink, but his armor kept him from splatting.

Callie lands on the ground, smirking in satisfaction. "Well, that was easy. Not much without that flight, huh?"

She looks to the side and notices that Ika was still playing cat and mouse with the colossal. The massive octoling was getting more furious by the second. Callie sighs and says "Might as well help him."

She turns and is about to run over, when she feels a sudden pain in her back. She hisses and turns around, glaring at the flying octoling.

He was back on his feet, holding his side in pain. The other hand held an N'Zap, a small ink pistol. He was glaring daggers at Callie, even though she couldn't see it. "D-Don't… underestimate me!"

He pulls the trigger, spraying ink straight at Callie. Now that she was prepared, Callie runs to the side, bringing her roller up.

Any normal inkling or octoling would've seen the action and moved, but not the flying octoling. He was blinded by rage, only seeing the person he had to kill.

Callie goes to bring her roller down, then suddenly remembers that this was an inkling. She decides to charge in, roller still high, and effortlessly avoiding all the shots.

She swings the metal part of the roller forwards and smacks it right into the octoling's head. The roller hits with a resounding _CRACK_, and the shades shatter. The octoling falls to the ground, screaming in pain as his brain is freed from the control and overrun with pain from the impact. The signals become too much for his brain to handle and the octoling falls unconscious.

Callie watches him grimly, then breathes out in relief. She falls to the ground, looking over at Ika's battle. "He can handle it. I'll jump in if necessary."

Tired of this game, Ika decides to try a new tactic. As he jumps back to avoid another punch, the leg he would land on becomes red and inky. He bounces right back towards the octoling, slamming his fist into the colossal's face.

The colossal slides back some from the force, taken completely off guard by the sudden attack. He wipes some of the blood from his split lip off, growling at the inkling in front of him. "Annoying little rat, that hurt!"

Ika raises an eyebrow and says in confusion "That's kinda the point."

The colossal just growls and brings his fist back. Ika once again is confused at the colossal's logic. He was too far back to punch him, so what was the point of preparing a punch?

Ika got his answer in the form of a bullet of ink flying from the gauntlet as the colossal punches the air. The bullet moved much faster than Ika could react and slams right into his stomach. Ika's breath once again leaves him as the ink coats his whole torso.

Ika jumps back, a sixth sense kicking in, and he barely avoids the next bullet. He brings his brush up and slaps a bullet away from himself.

The colossal grins as he sees the inkling going on the defensive. Empowered by the potential victory, he begins sending the bullets faster.

Ika was hard pressed to keep every bullet from hitting him. Some splashes hit his armor, but didn't do anything because of that. He was racking his brain for a solution, trying to figure out a way to get out of this situation

He looks at the walls around him, then gets an idea. He jumps back, his legs turning to ink, and he begins hopping around. The colossal had no trouble following him… at first.

Ika bounces off the ground and lands on a wall. He jumps off the wall and angles himself another wall. He jumps off of that one as well, beginning a chain reaction.

He was building up speed every time he bounced again, essentially becoming a pinball. The colossal looks around as Ika becomes nothing more than a blur around him. His confident look was wavering at the speed he was being shown.

Ika bounces off another wall, then angles himself at the colossal. He grabs a splat bomb, then launches at the octoling.

The colossal notices a blur racing towards him and he looks to his side. His eyes widen when he is able to make out Ika's form slightly, a triangle-shaped device in his hand.

Ika slams the splat bomb into the colossal's stomach with the force of a rocket. The colossal's eyes bulge out of his head, the splat bomb digging deep into his stomach. And then, due to the force it met, the splat bomb explodes.

Ika flies backwards, the speed being returned to him as he bounces along the floor, and then slams into a wall. The colossal was sent back much faster and doesn't even hit the ground before slamming into the wall, forming a crater in the metal and concrete.

Ika shakes his head, then looks at the colossal. He was groaning in pain, his torso covered in red ink. The shades on his head were cracked, and Ika would bet that was part of the pain.

He runs over to the colossal, then reaches for the shades. He grabs them, and pulls them off the octoling's head.

The octoling's eyes scrunch up tightly and he begins to groan even louder. The sudden signals being sent to his brain were overwhelming and causing a massive headache. It wasn't long before he passes out.

Callie runs to her brother with a grin on her face. "That had to be one of the coolest things you've ever done!"

Ika chuckles tiredly. Now that the battle was over and the adrenaline was leaving his body, he was beginning to feel exhausted. "Thanks… Callie. But now... we need to check on the others."

Callie nods and the two run to the entrance of Kelp Dome. They run to Seakelp Drive where they last saw Octari and Octavia. They turn a corner and see the two octolings sitting on a bench with the colossal inkling, ink all around them.

They stop in front of the trio and Ika says "Did everything go well?"

Octari nods, then says "We got rid of all the octolings. This poor guy almost got overwhelmed before we got here."

The colossal seems to finally notice them and suddenly goes on his knees in front of Ika. "I-I'm sorry sir! I didn't a-actually think they would be this strong!"

Ika shakes his head, expecting this. "It's fine, but I suggest being prepared. The person who does this doesn't like people who beat him."

The colossal nods, then gets back on his feet. He looks between the agents, then says "I uh… gotta go back home now. Thanks." He turns on his heel and walks off without another word.

Ika shakes his head, then says "I swear, when has arrogance ever gotten someone somewhere?" The agents shrugs, not really able to answer the sudden question.

A sudden ding is heard, startling the agents. Ika knows what it is though and pulls out his phone. He frowns, then says "Amber texted me, says its urgent and we need to come to Octo Canyon right away. Let's go."

They all turn into their various swimming forms and super jump to the grate. They all land on it, quickly shooting to the canyon on the outskirts of the city.

The jump out of the pipe, their weapons ready and their ink yellow. They look around for an intruder or some form of danger.

The door on the cabin opens and Amber walks out, her eyes wide and filled with tears.

Ika runs over quickly, instantly worried. "What's wrong?! Why are you crying?"

Amber sniffles, her eyes filling with tears even more. She suddenly collapses onto Ika, holding him tightly. Her cries filled the air, filled with anguish and pain. Ika rubs her head softly, trying to comfort her.

Amber shakes again, then looks up at her boyfriend, the one she's come to trust with her life. "I-It's Captain! H-He's dead!

**-Author Notes-**

**I've murdered a man. Someone kill me please! ;( I hope this isn't too big a surprise, but this arc isn't going to be all good. A mad man has an army, and only eight people can stop him. The stakes are high now.**


	61. Chapter 60

**Chapter 60**

"I-It's Captain! H-He's dead!"

The world seemed to stop at those words. Sounds ceased and the light seemed to disappear. Every agent could only look at Amber with disbelief, none of them believing it for a second.

Ika looks over at the cabin and gently pushes Amber to the side. He moves with a purpose now, his eyes hard and set on the wooden structure.

He pushes the door open, looking at the dark cabin. There was an air of death inside, setting Ika on edge.

He moves carefully, going to the back door. He pushes it open, looking inside the area. He is able to see his grandpa on the bed, but everything seemed fine. But, then he turns on the lights.

His eyes widen when he sees ink everywhere, splattered all around the bed. He runs over to his grandpa and looks at his body. A patch of ink was on his chest, and he was unmoving. He was growing desperate at this point.

He presses his head against his grandpa's chest, searching for any breathing. He puts his fingers against the base of his neck, looking for a pulse. He felt nothing.

Footsteps could be heard coming into the cabin, but Ika doesn't register it. His eyes close slowly, tightening. Tears were springing into his eyes, and he was quivering.

The other agents enter the room and gasp in shock at the scene. Ika was shaking while kneeling next to his grandpa, the bed and Cap'n himself covered in ink.

Callie's hand goes over her mouth in shock, tears forming in her eyes. She moves over to Ika, looking down at her grandpa, the one she's known and loved all her life. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't breathing.

A sob quakes through her, and the tears begin to down poor. She collapses on to Ika, gripping him tightly. Her loud sobs, filled with anguish, could be heard through the room.

Ika was shaking, the only sign of his sorrow. His cries were silent, and the tears fell onto Cap'n's chest. He sniffles slightly, shaking his head in denial. "No… no it can't be true. He can't be gone…"

Amber goes over and rests a hand on his shoulder. "I-I'm… sorry Ika. I never even knew this would happen."

Ika turns his head, looking up at the yellow inkling. His eyes were red and puffy, but filled with suspicion. "W-What happened here?!"

Amber frowns and says "I was taking care of him, sitting on the chair, when I saw a red dot. I couldn't even process it before ink hits him straight in the chest. I could… only watch in disbelief. I tried to help… but he was gone before I could even react."

Ika looks down, then whispers "A sniper?"

He looks back up and says "Did you see who did it? Did you go after them?!"

Amber nods, looking out the window. "I did. I ran outside, but I only caught a glimpse before they disappeared. They were an octoling, that was sure, and their tentacles were in a bow. That's all I saw."

Ika's eyes widen when he hears that, and Callie looks over in disbelief. "Marie?!"

Amber looks away, uncertain. "I don't know… maybe? She had a charger and the same hairstyle."

Ika shakes his head more, his eyes wide. "No… she wouldn't do that."

Callie shakes her head, tears still in her eyes but in control of herself. "She would, if she was an octoling. Those shades make you do things you'd never even dream of before."

Ika looks back at her, then at his grandpa. Something was growing in him, and he knew what it was. Hate was a powerful but ugly weapon.

He stands up, his eyes shadowed but tears clearly shown. "It was Octavius. He did this through Marie. She'll be devastated by this."

Ika growls suddenly, and he screams loudly. He slams his fist into the wall, making a crack in the wood. "That fucking bastard! I'll kill him for this!"

He looks back to his grandpa, his eyes burning with rage and hate, but not at Cap'n. "I am going to kill Octavius if it's the last thing I do!"

Callie gets up, worried at her brother's behavior. "Ika, calm down! We have to wait, remember."

Ika breathes heavily, then closes his eyes. He breathes out slowly, reigning in his anger. He opens his eyes, and he is back in control. He nods, but his eyes are still hard. "I know. I'll wait."

Callie looks at him with worry still, but she was glad she was keeping his anger in check. She then says "Let's… try and get some sleep. We still have some days before Mr. Grizz leaves."

The agents nod slowly, looking at their captain. They couldn't believe he was actually… gone. They'd need the night to process this. With solemn and sorrowful expressions, they all try fitfully to get some sleep.

**-Six Days Later-**

It was finally time. Callie and Ika were outside Grizz Co, eager to finally take down Octavius. He has done the unforgivable to them, and they wouldn't stop until he was gone.

Pearl and Marina were with them, both also eager, but for a different reason. For them, this was their first mission out. They would finally become real agents.

They walk into the building and Mr. Grizz is seen there waiting. He looks between them, noting the solemn but determined expressions on Callie and Ika's faces. "Why the long face?"

Ika looks down, his eyes shadowed. "Not now. Maybe another time."

Mr. Grizz nods, then walks past them. He grabs the retractable metal bars above the doorway and pulls them to the ground. With that barricade there, Grizz Co was closed.

He turns around, then says "I have the boat loaded and ready to be shipped to the canyon. You'll hide in a large crate to get to the loading grounds. It's all you after that."

The agents nod, then follow Mr. Grizz to his docking bay. They notice a large boat filled with crates, and a large empty one to the side. A truck also was on top.

Ika turns to the trio and says "You all have your gear?" They nod, patting their bags or brandishing their weapons.

Ika nods in satisfaction and they turn back to the boat. They step onto it, then into the crate. Mr. Grizz picks the side up and seals the box shut, a hole being their only source of air and sight. Now, they just had to wait.

**-Octavius's Base/Loading Area-**

The truck stops in front of the loading area. Mr. Grizz steps out, seeing the guards stopping him.

The octoling scoffs at the business man and says "You're lucky. The commander would've taken your head if you waited any longer."

Mr. Grizz doesn't react outwardly and just says "You heard the reasoning. I have the supplies now, so just get them off the truck."

The octoling glares at him, growling slightly. He turns away though and begins unloading the boxes.

After a bit, he gets to the box with the agents inside. He picks it up, grunting at the effort. "A-Agh! H-How many eggs are in this?!"

He puts the box down, sighing in relief. Mr. Grizz is glad to notice the octoling not even taking a second glance at the crate.

After a few minutes, the crates were all unloaded. Mr. Grizz says his farewells, then drives off.

The octoling guard turns to the crates, sighing at the fact he had to load them all into a truck to be brought to the labs. "Plus there's that really heavy one."

He looks at the crate in question, his curiosity rising. "I wonder how many are actually inside? Well, no harm in checking."

He goes to the box, looking it over. He finds the side that peels off and grabs the edges.

He doesn't even get to pull before the side is sent flying. He grips his face tightly, groaning in pain at the sudden attack.

He cracks an eye open, wondering what in the world just happened. He finds his answer in the form of the barrel of a gun right in front of him."

His eyes widen as he suddenly sees four agents in front of him, none of them looking pleased. Ika, holding a Hero Shot with his brush on his back, says "You aren't Octavius, but anyone is to blame at this point." He pulls the trigger, and the octoling recoils from the attack. He falls to the ground, lifeless.

Ika watches grimly, only slightly regretting his actions. Callie notices the octoling not popping like usual and says "They must not have a respawn point set up."

Ika grunts and says "Good. Means I can kill Octavius for real this time."

He turns to the factory and says "Let's go. We have inklings to save and a man to kill."

The agents run to the factory quickly and enter. Ika runs down the hallway softly, then turns right. He remembered that the vent was over here, along with Octavius's office.

The turn the corner and find a large door in front of him. Ika takes one glance at the vent before turning back to the door. "Pearl, blast it open."

Pearl steps up, her blaster trained on the door. "With pleasure." She clicks the trigger, and an orb of ink flies at the door. It explodes on contact, and the door is burst open.

Ika runs through the explosion, aiming his Hero Shot around. He frowns in confusion, lowering the weapon. "No one's here."

"Right you are Agent 7." The agents turn around quickly at the sudden voice.

A single octoling was there, holding a Tentacharger. The bow hairstyle told them exactly who this was. The big octoling known only as captain was behind her.

The octoling who spoke, who they know is Marie, smile slightly. "We finally got you right where we want you."

Ika growls, then says "How did you know we were coming?"

Marie shrugs, then says "We have security cameras. Hidden of course."

Ika growls more at that. How could he forget about security equipment in an OCTARIAN base?!

Marie brandishes her Tentacharger, looking quite smug. "Now then, what are you going to do?"

Ika looks between the two of them, then grins. "There are four of us, and two of you. How do you plan on fighting."

Marie snaps her fingers, and sudden footsteps are heard. Eight more octolings turn the corner, each holding an octo shot.

Ika's eyes widen as he registers their appearances. "Webbing, tall, bulky, even one who looks ready to rip my head off. Those are the inklings!"

Marie raises an eyebrow in confusion. "Inklings? Those are octolings, boy. They have been serving for years."

Ika looks at Marina and she says "The shades. They rewrite your memories to fit with the mind control." Ika nods in understanding.

He turns to the group of ten octolings, suddenly uncertain. "How do we get all of them without splatting them?"

Callie suddenly yells at them "Over here!"

Ika looks over, then raises an eyebrow at her standing near a device. His eyes widen when he notices what it was. "A respawn point?"

Callie nods, then kicks the machine. It turns on with a loud _whir_, and purple ink begins to spew out of it on top.

Ika could only look on in confusion. What is that going to do?!

Marie watches in confusion, then laughs suddenly. "Turning on Octavius's respawn point?! That'll just bring us back while you agents die! You really are fools!"

Pearl looks at her in anger, about to retort, and then stops. She looks at the narrow hallway beyond, then at her wrist. She grins, getting an idea.

She turns to Ika and says "I know what to do! I'll blast them with my Killer Wail. It'll knock the shades right off their heads!"

Ika's eyes widen at the idea. It wouldn't be the first time headgear was lost from Killer Wail blasts, and the respawn point would keep them from splatting. He smiles slightly and says "Pearl, you are a genius."

Pearl just chuckles, then grips her limiter. She twists it, saying "Time for the new and improved Pearl to come out!" The band falls to the floor, and Pearl's body begins to change.

She grows by a good foot, and her fingers sharpen into claws. The tips become pink, and a pink aura erupts around her.

Pearl opens and closes her hands, relishing this surge of power. "Wow! Is this how Amber feels when taking her limiter off?"

She turns to Marina, then smiles widely. "I'm as tall as Marina now!" She looks at her body and says "And the extra curves are a nice touch."

She turns back to the octolings with a smirk."And now it's time for the main event!"

She flips over, and a Killer Wail is suddenly in front of her.

The octolings back up slightly in surprise and sudden fear. Marie looks at the Killer Wail in shock and says "W-What?! But how?!"

Pearl grins, gripping the handles tightly. "I can summon it on command. Now then…"

She looks at the microphone, grinning widely. "Here we go."

She takes a deep breath, and the octolings begin to panic. Marie turns and says "RETREAT!"

They take only one step before Pearl screams "**BOOOOYAAAAAH!"**

The Killer Wail shakes, rings forming around the octolings. They all scream in fear, and the machine activates fully.

They all put their hands up, trying to shield themselves from the Killer Wail's blast. One by one, shades begin to fly off. The ones who lost them would pop shortly after.

Marie's shades fly off, and she screams as the sound overwhelms her completely. She pops in a cloud of purple ink, moving to the respawn point.

Pearl stops screaming as the last octoling was respawned. The agents turn to the octo inklings, watching them respawn.

Marie grips her head in pain, almost dropping to the floor. Ika runs over and grabs her before she can falls, supporting her on his shoulder.

She blinks tiredly, then turns to Ika. "I-Ika? W-What happened?"

Ika smiles in relief, happy that Marie was finally in control. "Octavius captured you and turned you into an octoling. He controlled you with the shades, but we fixed it."

Marie looks at him in confusion before a tentacle falls in front of her face. She grips it and turns it to the side, noticing the suction cup on the outside and the curl in the tentacle.

She sighs, then says "I really am an octoling." She looks around, then says "Where's Octavius then?"

Ika frowns, helping Marie get on her feet on her own. "We don't know. He wasn't here, only you and the transformed inklings."

Marie turns and notices the strange looking octolings. "Interesting. You'll have to debrief me when we get back home."

Ika suddenly looks upset, and Marie raises an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

Ika grits his beak, shaking his head. "I… not everything will be good or easily solvable. Especially what happened last week."

Marie's eyes become worried and she says "What?! What happened last week?!"

Ika looks at her with a grim expression. "That's for another time. We need to get you all to Inkopolis."

Callie then says "But what about Octavius?"

Ika shakes his head and says "I doubt we'll be able to find him. But, I also doubt he'll be gone long."

Pearl and Marina, who has decided to help the inklings get back on their feet, turn to him in confusion. Ika looks between the agents and says "Octavius is patient, yes, but he hates losing. I have no doubt he'll be brash and try to get back at us."

Then, with a grim smile, he says "And when he does, we'll be ready.


	62. Chapter 61

**Chapter 61**

After the agents got the inklings back in control of their minds, they helped them get back to Inkopolis. Because they were in a box, and they couldn't find the entrance Mr. Grizz used, they had to navigate the falling apart platforms of Octo Valley. Luckily, they managed to get back without any problems.

Once they got back to Inkopolis, Ika told the inklings of what happened. Obviously they got frightened of it happening again, but Ika reassured them that they wouldn't be squidnapped again. But, he couldn't get rid of all their fear.

It was reasonable, really, that they would still be paranoid. They were taken from their homes, some for weeks, and had no memories of what they did in the meantime. Not to mention becoming a completely different SPECIES.

He tried his best, and they were able to reintegrate into Inkopolis. No one had any actual lasting issues, which Ika was glad about. Although, two of them did change quite a bit.

First was the Humboldt squid Tyler. He was the one who insulted Pearl and Marie, and also attacked Octari in the alley. He was still arrogant and prideful, but he did regret his actions. He saw what being filled with power did, and he had no desire of becoming. He took some time away from competitive battles for a while.

And then there was Konton. Turns out he was the captain. It would explain the captain's massive size and strength. But if it wasn't for recognizing him through the octoling changes, no one would've known it was him. Mainly, it was because of his personality.

The agents heard from Octema that Konton was acting strangely in prison. They were told he was being submissive and seclusive, completely different from the confident and outspoken Konton Daniel and Kai met, and the Cuttlefish family knew.

Turns out, Octema wasn't kidding. Konton was quiet and not aggressive as he once was. In fact, he kept apologizing to Ika and Callie for what he's done and what he did. They were shocked, but happy at the change.

Now, things were almost back to normal. Callie and Marie went back to their house and got Marie caught up with what she missed. Pearl and Marina went back to the news, and the octo inklings were doing fine. That left Ika.

He was constantly searching for Octavius and any clues on his whereabouts. Not even two days after the event and he is already spending sleepless nights looking through documents. Amber, who had noticed this unhealthy behavior, decided to stay with him and keep him company. But tonight, something completely out of her control was going to happen.

**-Night-**

Ika looks around in confusion once more. He was looking down at the beach from the top of the hill that went along it. He was at least a good 500 feet from the shoreline, and nothing but down hill until the 200 feet stretch of sand.

He turns around and his eyes widen in surprise. There were some sort of fortifications along the top of the hill. Bags and barrels set up all over making makeshift cover and shooting holes. He even saw some ink mortars in the back, trained at the shoreline.

Ika turns around, looking at the shore. "_This must be another dream, but what is it? Why is this happening again?"_

The water was that same sickly green from the other two dreams, he just knew it. His eyes narrow as he gets a suspicious feeling the more he looked at the water. "_That color… it's familiar. Where did I see…"_

His eyes widen immensely as he remembers where he saw the color. It was the same water as the Salmonid spawning grounds!

He looks at the water with more caution this time, suddenly acutely aware of his weaponless defense. "_Salmonids… but why am I dreaming of them?"_

Suddenly, he hears a loud noise. He looks around, wondering what it was, when he hears a splash. He looks at the water, and his eyes widen to the size of saucers in fear.

A giant machine that looked very familiar to him was rising out of the water. The fists of the machine were replaced with eight octopus tentacles on the front, but it was still recognizable. "The Octo Bot King…"

One of the massive tentacles suddenly rises up, and a shadow forms over Ika. His eyes widen and he throws himself to the side, but the tentacle didn't come down. He looks at the machine in confusion, and his eyes widen.

An octoling, half his face nothing more than a goop and an insane grin on his face, was piloting the mech. It was Octavius, and his wide eyes made him look like a madman.

Octavius presses a button, and the tentacle finally begins to come down. Ika notices and tries to move, but he noticed too late. The tentacle slams on top of him, splatting him instantly

**-Ika's bedroom-**

Ika shoots upwards with a gasp. His breath was short and coming in small bursts, and his eyes were wide and wild. He blinks a few times, then shakes his head. He groans loudly, laying back down.

The door opens and Amber is seen standing in nothing more than her undergarments. Normally this would make Ika embarrassed, but they were dating now. It was normal at this point.

She looks at him in concern and says "What's wrong? I heard something loud and then you groaned."

Ika rubs his eyes, sitting back up. "It's… nothing."

Amber frowns and goes over to his bed. She sits down and leans right into his face, completely serious. "I know it wasn't nothing. What happened?"

Ika looks into her eyes and finds only a steel will. He sighs again, knowing he won't get out of this, and says "I had a nightmare."

Amber blinks in surprise, then leans back. "Was it about Captain?"

Ika shakes his head, only confusing Amber. He looks at her and says "Do you ever get dreams that seem so real that it must be happening?"

Ika looks at his blankets and continues without letting Amber speak. "Or did they feel like they were random, and yet you felt like they meant something, like they were trying to warn you?"

He looks at his girlfriend and says "Do you ever get that?"

Amber looks at him with a wide eyed look and her mouth thin. "I… um… no, I can't say that I have."

Ika sighs in disappointment, his head in his hands. "I'm going crazy. I knew it, I've gone insane."

Amber looks around in confusion, then says "Look, why don't you tell me what happened in it and we can try to figure this out?"

Ika looks at her through his fingers, then nods. "Ok. What happened was I was on those hills that ran along the beach. Fortifications were along those hills, looking like something from a war movie or the old war photos. The water… it was a green color, a sign of the Salmonids."

Amber nods in understanding. Everyone in Inkopolis at this point had tried the Salmon Runs and were familiar with the pesky fish.

He then begins making some hand motions and says "Then, a big splash is heard. I turn to the ocean and… Octavius is there, piloting an Octo Bot King. But it was different. It had these eight giant mechanical octopus tentacles on it. Not only that, but Octavius looked insane, and half his face was just a purple mess. I got only that one look before a tentacle splatted me and I woke up."

Amber looks at him for a bit, then looks down in consideration. "That… doesn't sound like something someone makes on a whim. I don't know much about dreams, but I do know they can sometimes be prophetic."

Ika looks at her with disbelief. "You think my dream was a prophecy?" She shrugs, uncertain.

Ika looks down, then says "I did have two others. They were at the ocean too, and the water was green."

Amber smiles and puts a finger to his mouth. "Tomorrow, ok?" Ika blinks in surprise, then nods.

Amber gives him a quick peck on the lips and says "Night." Ika returns it, and Amber leaves the room.

Ika lays back down and looks at the ceiling in consideration. He turns on his side and tries to get some much needed sleep.

**-The Next Day-**

It was around noon now and Ika was still looking through his documents. Amber left to get some money from turf wars and he wasn't expecting her for a while. So, when he hears the door open and close, and Amber walks into his room, he is pleasantly surprised.

He smiles and kisses her quickly, saying "I didn't think you'd be home yet."

Amber shrugs, putting down her Kensa Splattershot Pro. "I got lucky with the teams today. I got some good ones, few losses."

Ika nods, smiling. "That's good." Amber nods in agreement.

She then notices the papers and tries to peer over his shoulder. "Watcha lookin at?"

Ika pulls out a document and shows it to Amber. She looks at the title and finds "Dreams and Nightmares: Prophecies or Imagination?".

She raises an eyebrow and looks at him in disbelief. Ika sighs when he sees the look and says "I told you the most recent nightmare last night. I had two more before that."

Amber sits down, still sceptical of the whole thing, but willing to listen. "Ok. What were they about?"

Ika thinks back on the nightmares. "The first was simple. I was on the beach, and the everything was fine. And then, a green film appeared on the water. I didn't even get time to investigate before a frying pan comes out of nowhere and splats me."

Amber's eyes widen immensely. "A frying pan?! LIke the ones Salmonids hold?!" Ika nods.

She looks at him with slight confusion, but also a lot more belief. "When was this?"

Ika thinks back, trying to remember. "I think… it was before the story of Octari's adventure, so after Callie got back and before you and Cap'n returned."

Amber looks at him with even more surprise. "But that was months ago, and Mr. Grizz only just got here a couple weeks ago!"

Ika nods, understanding her shock. "Yeah, it surprises me too. It only solidifies the whole prophetic thing, huh?" Amber nods in agreement.

He then thinks on the second nightmare. "The second one was… a little more detailed. I was on the beach again, and it was still green. Then, I heard a noise. The next thing I know, a giant blue beam of ink comes from the ocean and… destroys Inkopolis."

Amber's eyes widen in surprise. "That was unexpected. Is that all?"

Ika nods again. "That was it. I never told anyone because they didn't seem important at first. Now though, I think they are trying to tell me something."

Amber looks at him in consideration, then nods. "I believe so too. We'll have to think about this deeply."

Ika nods in agreement. "Yeah, we will. So, let's start now, hm?" Amber smiles and nods, and the two begin discussing how the nightmares could link with Octavius's actions. They didn't know at the time how accurate the dreams were.

**-Hidden within the continent-**

Octavius drums his fingers in irritation at the recent events that have occured. He was thwarted once again, and by the same. Damn. INKLING.

He growls, his fist clenched tightly. He flinches when he feels a spike of pain in his right hand. He lifts it and examines the appendage in disdain. It was a drooping purple mess of ink, just barely recognizable as a hand.

He scowls in disgust, then presses a button on his ever present remote. "Bring me the medic."

He waits for only two minutes before a single octoling with a white lab coat with a red cross on it walks in. Octavius lifts his hand and says "This condition is spreading. How much of me will become like this?"

The medic shifts on his feet, mumbling and stumbling on his words slightly in fear. "W-Well s-sir… t-the."

Octavius groans loudly and says "Again with the mumbling. I'm not going to kill you so SPEAK UP DAMN IT!"

The medic flinches at the loud volume and nods rapidly. "T-The analysis showed that it stopped spreading halfway through your body. From the looks of things, half of you will be untouched, and the other half will become… what you see now."

Octavius growls, looking at his hand in irritation again. "Half my body… reduced to this FILTHY mess because of that DAMNED inkling MENACE!"

His inky hand slams onto the side of his makeshift throne, spraying ink everywhere. The medic stumbles back as if struck, then quickly leaves the room.

Octavius glares at seemingly nothing, then sighs loudly in agitation. He leans back and says "For once, can someone bring me good news?"

The door opens to his room and he cracks an eye open in annoyance. He sees one of his scouts there, panting heavily. He growls and says "What is it boy? And do hurry, I am in a very bad mood."

The octoling scout nods, but a smile was on his face. "R-Right… my sir. I-It's just that… we have good news."

Octavius raises an eyebrow, straightening from his reclining position. "Oh, and what is that?"

The octoling straightens up as well, having gotten most of his breath back. "We found something interesting, down by the shoreline. It was some sort of fish, a salmon even, that looked like Salmonids. The thing is though, they were all blue and green and looked all sick. When we approached, they didn't attack, even though they held weapons. When our scout leader told them to back off, they did."

Octavius's eyebrows raises even higher at that. "So you are saying that you found some new Salmonid species that listens to orders without question?" The octoling nods.

A sudden grin begins forming on Octavius's face, one very pleased. "And Salmonids reproduce very quickly. We may have just what we need."

The octoling nods in agreement, then says "One more thing sir. We also found this broken… machine in the water. It was filling the ocean with this blue ink-like substance, and it looked like some sort of canyon."

Octavius puts this into consideration. "I may just need to look at this myself. Thank you scout." The octoling nods, then leaves the room.

Octavius grins and he thinks on the news he just heard. "_An army at my fingertips, and a potential cannon? This is too good to be true. Finally, my luck is turning around."_

He suddenly grins widely, his own eyes shaking with excitement and insanity. "_And that isn't a good thing for those agents! It's finally time!"_

**-Author Notes-**

**This is the final stretch. We have... a number of chapters left that only I know of until the story ends. Be ready for it!**


	63. Chapter 62

**Chapter 62**

It's been one month since Octavius disappeared. No clues could be found, no leads, and it was making Ika anxious. He knew that Octavius would've tried attacking them soon after the defeat. His ego was too large to wait. "_So why hasn't he yet?"_

He looks up as he finally reaches his destination. After Amber and his little talk about nightmares, he's become more interested in the random, yet realistic dreams he had. So, he decided to investigate. A single walk along the beach every morning, and he still has yet to find anything.

But Ika wasn't one to give up. He knew something was up with those dreams, so he continued to investigate the beach. Today was just another walk. Or… he thought it would be.

He goes down the large grass-covered hill to the sandy beach below. He walks forwards until he was only 15 feet from the shore. He watches the water roll in and out, in and out, continuously repeating the process.

He begins to walk along the water line, never venturing any closer. He looks down in thought, thinking of some past events.

It was a good week before Callie and him told Marie about Cap'n's death. She was devastated, and neither of them could bring themselves to say exactly WHO did it. They just left it as one of Octavius's soldiers.

Luckily, Marie didn't slip into a depression like she did when Callie disappeared. That event opened her eyes, showing her that becoming depressed was never a good thing and she had to work to make things better. So she helped the household by doing Turf Wars almost every day. She took regular breaks, thankfully, but was gone a lot of the time.

This would be concerning if not for the genuine smile Callie sees on her face every time she returns. Marie was enjoying turf wars, and she wasn't regretting quitting the news studio one bit.

Other than that little event, things seemed to go back into a semi-normal state. It could never be fully peaceful, no, not with Octavius still out there. They always were looking back over their shoulders, expecting an attack at any moment.

As Ika was thinking of this, a pair of hostile eyes watches him from the hill. Speaking very softly, the figure says "He's here, and lost in thought."

The person on the other end chuckles malevolently. "Good. Time to test the army in battle."

Ika's ear perks up suddenly as he hears a sudden noise. He turns to the water, looking for what caused the disturbance. His eyes dart all over, searching constantly.

He hears a sudden splash and looks to the side. His eyes widen when he sees a Salmonid suddenly jump out of the water. It was nothing more than a Chum, but it was green and blue, not the normal green and gray. It looked… very familiar with that color scheme.

He doesn't get time to think on it though as he hears another splash near him. He sees a Cohawk, closer than the Chum, jump out of the water. It had the same color scheme as the Chum, and its frying pan was covered in a soap-like substance.

More splashes are heard, and Ika looks around in shock, and caution. There was now a small swarm of Cohawks and Chums around him, all of them moving slowly towards him.

A final splash is heard, but it was right in front of Ika. Ika turns to the water and his eyes widen when he sees another Cohawk come out of the water, its frying pan raised.

The black-haired inkling jumps back just as the massive pan is lowered. It slams into the sand with tremendous force, spraying the particles everywhere like a mist.

Ika coughs, waving the sand aside. He cracks an eye open and sees the Salmonids very close to him now. He knows he'll have to fight his way out.

He reaches behind himself and grabs one of the three splat bombs he keeps on his person at all times. He tosses it slightly, catching it midair. He brings his arm back, and estimating the best throw, chucks it into the swarm of Salmonids.

The fish don't stop moving when the bomb lands near them, nor do they retreat. They continue moving forwards, seemingly oblivious to the danger presented by the bomb. And Ika's eyes widen as he suddenly remembers why. They were immune to normal inkling and octoling ink!

The bomb explodes, dousing multiple Salmonids in the blast. That's when Ika's eyes widen even wider. The Salmonids coated in his red ink explode, forming soapy blue… ink puddles?! Salmonids don't produce ink!

He looks at it in surprise for only a moment before one of the Chums come upon him. It raises its pan, ready to knock down its prey. It never expected its prey to fight back.

Ika dodges the attack, then punches the fish square in the stomach. It gurgles loudly, dropping its pan reflexively. Ika picks up the pan, then slams it against the Salmonid's head. It stumbles a bit, then falls over unconscious.

Ika adjusts the pan slightly, then spits on it. The pan gets covered in the red ink he spat out, giving him a more lethal weapon. He brandishes it at the few remaining fish, but they don't stop moving.

He looks at the numbers and decides to even it out a bit more. He pulls out another splat bomb and throws it into the group of ten fish. The bomb explodes, taking out seven of them. Only two Chum and a single Cohawk remained.

Ika grips his pan tightly as one of the Chums get close. He avoids its pan swing, then swings the ink-covered side of his own pan. It hits the Chum with a crushing force, and the Chum explodes into blue ink at contact with the red ink.

Ika hears a whistling in the air and he jumps back. He did it just in time too as the other Chum's ink covered pan just barely misses him. Ika rebounds right back and slams the pan into the Chum's head, instantly splatting it.

The Cohawk was now upon him, and Ika knew it would be harder to take out. He jumps back as the massive pan hits the ground, avoiding the attack. He had to cover his eyes though as sand is thrown up into the air again, making a haze around him.

He hears another whistling and ducks down. He avoids the horizontal swing sent by the Cohawk, and Ika now knows where it is. He jumps forwards and swings blindly, hoping for the best.

He feels a solid connection, and he knows he hit the fish. He waves his hand, removing the sand haze, and looks at the Cohawk. It had a big splotch of red ink on its side, but it wasn't splatted yet.

Ika sees it raises it pan again, and he gets an idea. He pulls out a splat bomb and waits for the pan to come down. He sees the Cohawk's fin twitch, and then the pan begins to lower.

Ika dodges the swing, seeing sand go up again. This time though, he dodged forwards, going to the side of the Cohawk. It begins to turn to him, trying to get its pan up, but Ika was too fast.

He holds his pan up and slams the splat bomb into the pan. The force causes the bomb to trigger, and then explode. Ika is sent flying backwards, sliding to a stop close to the water. He shakes his head, looking back up at his results. He smiles when he sees the Cohawk gone, nothing more than a blue ink puddle in its place.

He picks himself up, then turns to the water. He sees a green film appearing over it, and he instantly knows things aren't right here. He turns and begins running to Inkopolis.

Up on the hill, the hostile eyes watch in amazement at how easily the agent took out the Salmonids. "We may need to be considerate of the explosions."

The other person scoffs and says "That was not even a fraction of the whole army! The whole of Inkopolis could fight and still be overwhelmed by the numbers."

The person at the beach shrugs and says "If you say so sir."

The other person then says "Come back to base. The plan commences soon." The figure nods, then turns to head back to the base.

**-Inkopolis Square-**

Ika pants slightly as he finally reaches Grizz Co. He goes past the bear machine, running to the door behind the counter. He knocks on it loudly, yelling "Mr. Grizz! This is urgent, I need to speak with you!"

The door opens up suddenly and Ika loses his balance mid knock. Mr. Grizz catches him, pushing him back onto his feet. "Woah there! What's the problem?"

Ika looks at him with wide eyes and says "It's the ocean! It's getting covered in a green film, just like the Salmonids form. I even got attacked by them today!"

Mr. Grizz frowns from behind his mask. "That's odd. They never venture this closely. Are you sure it was Salmonids?"

Ika suddenly looks hesitant and he says "W-Well, I'm not entirely sure. They LOOKED like Salmonids, but they were blue and green and all sick looking. I know I've seen that somewhere before…"

Unbeknownst to him, Mr. Grizz was looking at him in shock. "_Blue, green, sick looking? That sounds like… this is a bigger problem than I thought."_

Mr. Grizz puts a hand on Ika's shoulder and says "I know what this is, and it isn't good. If the Salmonids are coming to the shore, then there will be thousands of them, maybe even millions. We'll need to defend the city."

Ika's eyes widen immensely at that. "But there are only ten agents, plus you! We can't fight millions!"

Mr. Grizz nods grimly. "I know that. Because of the low numbers, we'll need to alert the whole city. We need a city wide defense."

Ika looks at the Salmonid fighter in surprise. "Do you think they'll believe us?"

Mr. Grizz nods confidently. "When those two, Pearl and Marina, speak, they make people listen. The city'll believe their idols."

Ika thinks about that, then nods. It was true that the young inklings and octolings tended to believe anything Pearl and Marina said on the news. It's been proven before. They would be the best ones to announce this.

Ika smiles determinedly and says "Thanks Mr. Grizz. I'll go inform Pearl and Marina so they can tell everyone."

Mr. Grizz nods in agreement. "You do that. I can prepare some defense in the meantime, supplying my special ink."

Ika perks up and says "About that… these Salmonids were splatted by my own ink. I think they are somehow affected by inkling ink and maybe even octoling ink."

Mr. Grizz, even with the suit and helmet, looked visibly surprised. "Really now?! That is quite the surprise!" Ika nods in agreement.

He turns away and says "I'll go tell the news station now. Take care!" Mr. Grizz waves farewell as Ika runs back to the square.

He instantly turns to the news station and is let inside by the guard. He waves at the desk clerk and goes into Studio 1.

Ika sees the two pop stars just talking to each other when Ika opens the door. Pearl turns to him and says "I know this isn't just a normal visit. You never come to the studio unless it is urgent."

Ika nods. "This is indeed urgent. There is a swarm of Salmonids coming from the ocean. I told Mr. Grizz and he says that there could be millions of the fish."

Pearl and Marina look visibly shocked at that. Marina was the first one to recover. "M-Millions?! That is too much for us!"

Ika nods. "Even with specials, they would overwhelm us. So, we need a city wide defense."

Pearl's eyes widen in sudden understanding. "You want me and Marina to tell the city?" Ika nods.

The pygmy inkling looks at the clock and says "We could do an emergency broadcast now. How long until the Salmonids come out of the water?"

Ika shrugs. "I'm not sure, but they rarely seem to stay in it long. They probably will come out in a few hours."

Pearl nods, then turns to Marina. She presses a remote, then says to Ika "You may want to stand back. Seeing you here would be strange." He nods, then steps out of the camera's view.

The jingle of the news echoes across the city, making the residents to look at the screen in confusion. It was still an hour until the next news section, why is it happening now?

Marina and Pearl are seen on screen, but they looked distressed. Marina starts off by saying "We just got word from the agents that a large group of Salmonids were seen by the coastline."

The screen shows an image of the shore near Inkopolis. Pearl nods and says "The agents said that the group could be in the millions, much more than they could handle."

The residents look around in alarm. They all knew what the Salmonids were, and millions of them coming into the city?! That wasn't good.

Marina smiles suddenly and says "That is why we need as many volunteers to help us defend the city!"

Pearl nods with a smirk. "If you have any weapon or fighting experience, go to the shoreline and prepare some defenses. The Salmonids will be here in a few hours. "

The general populace was a bit shocked at this news. Other than the shock, they all knew what they had to do. Soon, people were running around urgently. A few were taking the young and old and going somewhere they thought safe. Others helped grabs some barricades, manly old bags that they filled with ink or barrels of ink.

Somewhere along the line, someone suggested being the same color. He proposed a bright orange, the most common color of Inkopolis. People actually agreed and soon every inkling and octoling had orange tentacles. Daniel smiles at a job well done.

Most people were carrying their weapons of choice. Some of the makeshift defenses were fitted with small holes for the chargers to snipe from. Most people stayed behind the barricade with weapons raised, the rollers and brushes staying up front.

Ika looks around in genuine surprise, his hero gear on already. Callie was by his side, and Marie on his other, both with their hero gear on. Pearl and Marina were close, along with Octavia and Octari. Daniel, Whinter, and Clementine were situated just behind them.

Ika smiles at the defenses set up within a couple hours. "I'm surprised how well people did with this."

Callie nods. "I know, right?!"

Marie shrugs and says "Well, most people do turf wars, so fighting comes naturally. Plus, the octolings with their military experience helped a lot."

Ika actually noticed quite a few octolings giving out orders. It seemed that the populace realizes the value of these military trained citizens. "And that's good. We need strong leaders."

Daniel, who had grown so much since first coming to Inkopolis, turns to Ika. "So what do we do know, leader?"

Ika's eyes grow wide at the sudden comment. "L-Leader?! I ain't no leader!"

Daniel shrugs and says "Well, with Cap'n gone, we need someone to lead us. You've done so well before, taking charge in the action and planning out the missions. You should be the leader."

There was a general cheer of agreement from the agents. Ika sighs, then says "I'm not getting out of this, am I?" He was met with a shake of heads.

Callie smiles and says "So, repeating what Daniel said, what do we do now?"

Ika looks at her, then at the shoreline. He straightens up, and looks at the water with a fierce determination. "Now, we wait."


	64. Chapter 63

**Chapter 63**

It had been an hour since the defenses were set up. Despite this, none of the people present were bored. Many were anxious of the battle that was coming to them. There were some respawn points set up behind the lines so they could respawn, but they were still nervous. Those machines meant nothing if the Salmonids got to them.

Ika was still watching the green water for any signs of the Salmonids. He was growing more worried as time went on, wondering if he made a mistake. Callie notices the expression and seems to read his mind. "They'll be here soon. It's just the wait making you anxious."

He glances at his sister, then back to the water. "I hope so. I want this to get over with."

Then, a sound is heard. It was splashing, but it was coming from all across the shoreline. Ika watches in slight excitement as the water begins to surge with disturbances. The Salmonids have finally come.

The populace watches as the water breaks apart in multiple areas, showing the sickly green fish. They were all shuffling along to the beach, and then slowly making their way to the defenses above.

The inklings all take aim, when the splashing seems to multiple tenfold. What was once a barely audible sound back a dull roar in their ears. The ocean itself seemed to split apart as the wave of Salmonids began to swarm out of the water. Their numbers were increasing rapidly, and it looked like they would soon reach the amount of inklings and octoling present.

Ika raises a hand and says "Ready?!" The people present relay the message, and a loud cheer erupts from the crowd.

Ika frowns grimly, then lowers his hand. "FIRE!" The populace obliges almost instantly.

The air became filled with the sound of gunshots and explosions and the inklings and octolings fired onto the approaching swarm. The rollers and brushes ran along the front lines, decimating the Chum and Cohawks that tried to take them on. The Smallfry never even stood a chance.

Ika watches in satisfaction as the swarm was being held back quite easily. And then, a sudden horn is heard behind them. Ika turns to the truck that Mr. Grizz had rolled onto the battlefield. Mr. Grizz had fitted it with the same functions as his boat, so that horn meant only one thing. "Here come the bosses."

He watches as multiple Salmonids, different from the others, began to swarm out of the ocean. There were Steelheads, Flyfishes, Scrappers, and even some Maws. Every single boss, except for two Ika realized, was swarming out of the ocean.

He looks to an octoling close to him who had taken up the mantle as one of the coordinators of the defense. "Hey Akio!"

The octoling in question lowers his charger and looks at Ika with a quizzical expression. "Yes Agent 7?"

Ika points along the barricade and says "Tell the people that we need to take out those Stingers and Flyfishes! We need charges and rollers on those Stingers asap, and get some Inkjets and Stingrays for the Flyfishes."

Akio nods, then begins to relay the message along the line. Shortly afterwards, there the battlefield was filled with the powerful beams of ink created by the Stingrays. The beams would focus on a Flyfish, and then sweep across the battlefield, decimating the frontlines.

Some of the chargers began to take out the pots used by the Stingers, destroying their ammo supply. Soon after, the Stingers would pop and the deadly stingray would disappear.

A sudden whistling sound is heard and Ika looks up in caution. He sees some missiles flying at them and he jumps off to the side. The missiles hit right where he was previously, and Ika looks at it in surprise.

He coats the raised platform in orange ink, then looks around. He frowns in concern and confusion when he sees the same amount of Flyfishes and Stingers as before. "I thought we were destroying the bosses…"

Callie nods and says "We were, but more seem to keep coming. Every time one is gone, another two take its place, and almost never the same type of boss as before."

Ika grimaces at that. "This swarm is getting to be too much. I think it's time we join the fray."

He raises his Octobrush Remix into the air and yells "Agents! Let's go!"

The agents behind him give a small cheer and run into the fray. Marie and Clementine stay at the barricades to give some support with chargers, but everyone else runs right into the front line.

Callie and Whinter went straight to work with their rollers, splatting any Chum or Smallfry instantly. The Cohawks, even with their increased defense, couldn't handle their rollers' strength. Along the way, they even managed to splat some Scrappers and Steel Eels, helping even out the odds.

Pearl and Marina instantly fought side by side. Pearl would take out multiple off the swarm at once, while Marina would guard her from any return fire from bosses. The two were creating a larger and larger pool of orange ink in front of them. The two of them were taking out more than most of the other inklings combined.

Similar to Pearl and Marina's dynamic, Octavia and Octari did much the same thing. Octavia would defend Octari with her brella, while Octari splatted Salmonids with her Octo Shot. Octari's almost perfect aim was amazing at taking out the pesky Smallfry that were swarming the beach.

Daniel went on his own rampage. His high mobility with his dualies and his ability to aim in two different directions at once helped him immensely. He easily avoided the blasts from Steelheads, and the Maws were child's play to avoid. He was also taking out any Scrapper in his path, removing the armored tanks from the battlefield.

And Ika, well, it would've been an understatement to say he went on a rampage. He was massacring the Salmonids. His brush's increased spread and lethality was destroying any Smallfry and Chum that got into his range. The Cohawks fell just as quick, and even the bosses weren't any problem. His expertise with splat bombs allowed him to take out Maws one by one with little effort, and even some of the Flyfishes as he passed by. He was a blur on the battlefield, the shades taking some part in that.

At some point in his spree, he noticed a blob of purple ink fly past him. Purple ink wasn't being used by either Inkopolis or the Salmonids, so who sent it?

He backs up to a safer and higher vantage point, and then he looks around the battlefield. All he could see was the swarm of fish on the coast and ink flying everywhere. He couldn't see any pur-

His thoughts derail instantly as he notices a mop of red octoling tentacles. He focuses on the hair, and then notices another set. And then another.

The octolings were all situated around a raised platform of rock on the beach. Ika's confusion and suspicion only increases as he sees the Salmonids near them completely ignore the octolings.

Ika looks up at the rock outcrop, and his eyes widen immensely. A single octoling was on top, his hands set behind his back in a very formal and commanding fashion. Half his face was nothing more than a purple, inky mess, but Ika was certain he knew who it was. "Octavius…"

He growls loudly, then says into his communicator "Octavius is here! I knew the bastard was behind this!"

Callie was the first to respond. "Where is he?"

Ika looks at the rock platform and says "He is on the east side of the battlefield, on top of a rock platform. He has a small group of octolings around him though."

Marie then says "We're on our way." The agents all give similar statements, and the communicators switch off.

Ika was about to approach Octavius when his communicator switches back on. A very familiar voice then appears in the headset. "Agent 7? Are you there?"

Ika's eyes widen in surprise. "Mr. Grizz! How did you get on this channel?"

The response was simple. "I am good with computers, so it was easy. More importantly, I heard that little tidbit about Octavius. How about this old man lends you a hand?"

Ika thinks about it, then smiles. "Of course. See you soon."

Mr. Grizz nods to himself, then says "You as well. And son, be careful."

Ika nods. "I will." The communicator switches off again, and Ika finally is able to begin making his way to the renegade octolings.

He hops off of his platform and walks slowly to the rock Octavius was on. The Salmonids began to get close, but he disposed of them with ease.

One of the octolings with Octavius notices the flurry of orange ink getting closer and closer and decides to inform his superior. "Commander! Hostiles at 2 o'clock!"

Octavius looks down at his soldier, then to the direction specified. There was indeed a large amount of orange ink getting closer and closer to them. Octavius's eyes narrow when he sees a flash of black and yellow. "_Could it be?"_

Octavius sends a mental command to the Salmonids. He found out that they developed a hive mind of sorts and he was now their commander. He could control a group of them or even the whole army with a single thought.

He tells the Salmonids attacking the enemy to let them through. The Salmonids listen instantly, stopping in their tracks.

Ika raises an eyebrow when he sees the Salmonids back off from him. He looks forwards and notices a clear line straight to Octavius's squadron, including Octavius himself.

Octavius smirks down at the agent he instantly recognized. "Ah, Agent 7! How… _nice _to see you!"

Ika scoffs slightly and says "Nice? I thought it would be the complete opposite."

Octavius's eye twitches, but his anger otherwise doesn't show. "Of course it would be like that if this was any other place. But right now… I am finally going to triumph!"

Ika raises an eyebrow, then turns to the battlefield. Inkopolis was finally beginning to push back the swarm, slowly but surely getting them back into the water.

He turns back to the evil octoling with a smirk of his own. "Triumph you say? It seems like things are going our way right now."

Octavius chuckles slightly, confusing Ika. The octoling looks down on the agent with what looked like mocking pity. "Oh you poor simpleton. I could swing this battle into my favor within the snap of my fingers. But there is something else that I'd LOVE for you to see."

He pulls out a remote just as the other agents arrive. He grins widely and says "I was beginning to worry that I wouldn't be able to see your face when I used this, but now I get to see all of you!"

He presses a button on the remote, and the ground suddenly begins to shake. Ika's eyes widen and he yells "What is this?! Why is the ground shaking?!"

Marina glances at the water, then does a double take. Her eyes widen as she realizes what she was seeing. "L-Look at the water!"

The agents look over and notice a large amount of water being displaced. Ika narrows his eyes as he sees a gleam of metal. Was that a machine?

The machine continues to rise, and they were able to get a good look at it. There was a very shiny metal plating on the machine, and it had multiple tubes going to a single point at the front. There seemed to be a tank of blue ink attached…

Octari's eyes widen to the size of saucers when she sees the machine fully. "T-That's the cannon! The one Tartar tries to use to take out Inkopolis!"

Octavius laughs suddenly and yells "Oh, so is that where this came from?! Well, it seems like this Tartar had the same ambitions I have!"

Ika raises an eyebrow in confusion, glancing wearily at the cannon. One of his nightmares kept going to the forefront of his mind. "What do you mean?"

Octavius chuckles grimly, his eyes wide and a deranged grin on his face. "I am going to take out all of Inkopolis!"

The agents look at him in shock. Ika grits his beak and yells "You're insane!"

Octavius just laughs loudly, saying "No, I am enlightened! I have realized that I cannot simply push you inklings back. You will continue to fight, and that will be an annoyance I do not wish to have. The solution is simple. I'll wipe you all off the face of the planet! I'll rid this world of the inkling menace!"

Marina steps up, looking distressed. "But what about the octolings in Inkopolis?!"

Octavius freezes, then looks at the pop star. He growls and says "Do not mention those filthy traitors. They deserve to die as much as the rest of the inklings."

Octavia shakes her head in denial. "N-No! We'll stop you!"

Octavius laughs again, his grin returning in full force. "You can try, but I doubt you can! Elites!"

There's a sudden blur of movement and ten elite octolings land in front of Octavius. The insane octoling smirks and says "Deal with them." The elites nod, then move forwards quickly and meet the agents head on.

Octavius looks at the cannon as it begins to charge, swirling the ink within it. "Yes, the plan is going perfectly."

He laughs loudly, throwing his arms to the side. "The time of reckoning has come! Prepare yourselves inklings, your executioner has arrived!"

**-Author Notes-**

**Octavius's true plans are finally revealed! He wants to wipe out Inkopolis, taking the inklings out with it! The man has truely gone insane. The arc is reaching its climax, and things are only getting better.**


	65. Chapter 64

**Chapter 64**

The elites instantly set out in trying to take down the agents. They were Octavius's best soldiers, and they haven't met a challenge they couldn't defeat. Sadly, these were agents.

The agents, all of them fighting other octoling elites in the past, watch calmly as the elites charge them down. The first elite, wielding an octobrush, tries to maneuver to the back of the group for a pincer attack. He only gets a few feet before a shot from Marie takes him out.

Two other elites tried the same tactic, thinking more numbers would mean one would get through. They both got splatted instantly by Marie and Clementine.

The last seven elites didn't even slow down at seeing their comrades' deaths. They just continued to charge, and now some of them were beginning to fire.

Octavia and Marina instantly set themselves in front of the agents, leaving Ika and Daniel uncovered. While the protected agents returned fire, the two quickest agents went to work on the front lines.

Daniel instantly set out against the enemy brella user. She was keeping the enemy charger protected, and that charger was applying too much pressure for his liking.

The charger notices him coming and takes aim. Daniel clicks a button on his dualies and a burst of ink jets out of the bottom of the guns. They propel him to the side, allowing him to easily move out of the sniper's range.

He aims his dualies at the brella and begins firing at it. The brella elite plants her feet in the ground to keep back the hail of ink bullets, but it could last only for so long.

The brella breaks apart, its thin frame unable to handle the rain of high-powered projectiles. Left defenseless, the brella and charger couldn't do much until. They were both splatted quickly.

Ika set out on his mission with a grim face. The enemy brush, shooter, and slosher were both taken down. Now, the enemy blaster and dualie user were trying to get past the brella defense set up by Octavia and Marina. And it was working.

The black-haired agent instantly sets out for the two pressuring octoling. They notice him and begin backing up quickly, trying to avoid Ika's range.

Ika notices this and throws a quick splat bomb behind them. The two elites see it flying towards them and they jump to the side, avoiding the blast radius.

The blaster sighs in relief, and then his eyes go wide as he feels a sharp pain on his back. The life drains from his eyes and he falls over, dead.

Ika looks away from the dead body and to the dualie user. The enemy raises his dualies and begins firing, trying to take out Ika.

The agent begins running quickly, just barely avoiding the enemy's fire. He growls slightly when he realizes he won't be able to get in close this time. He clicks on his communicator and says "I can't get this guy. Marie?"

She instantly replies, setting her sights on the enemy octoling. "On it." She releases the trigger and the beam of ink rockets past Ika's head. It slams into the dualie user's chest, knocking him off his feet. He falls to the ground and remains unmoving.

Ika sighs in relief, then looks at who remained. There was only the splatling and the… wait, where's the roller? Wasn't there a roller?

He shrugs and runs at the minigun wielding octoling. The enemy turns and begins firing the rain of bullets on to Ika. Ika's eyes widen immensely and he dives behind a small rock, flinching slightly as he hears the ink slam into the rock.

Clementine takes aim at the splatling, eager to get rid of him. She fires, and she smiles as she sees it fly straight at the octoling.

And then, there was suddenly metal. She frowns in confusion, wondering what just landed in front of her shot. Her eyes widen when she sees the very mechanical roller design. "A dynamo!"

Ika's eyes widen when he hears Clementine's shout. He peaks over his rock and sees the splatling turned to the group of agents, applying pressuring fire on them once more. Another octoling was approaching the group slowly, dragging a large roller behind himself.

Ika looks at it in surprise, wondering why they would be using the slow dynamo roller in a battle like this. He sees the octoling raises his roller, the machine inside whirring loudly to build up power. Ika just looks on in disbelief. He would never swing it in time! What was he thinking?

He got his answer when Pearl tried to take out the roller. The splatling instantly aims at her, spraying ink pellets in her direction. Pearl has to dive behind the brella barricade again to keep from being splatted.

Ika looks at the tactic in realization. "_The splatling is keep the others from firing at the roller. If that roller swings, then the brellas will go down!"_

He sees the roller bring his roller down, flinging a massive wave of ink. Marina and Octavia instantly raises the brellas above head, blocking the ink. Sadly, their brella canopies break apart instantly.

With no defense left, the splatling now had clear shots. The enemy elite chuckles loudly as his splatling gun begins to rev up. Ika knew he had to move, NOW.

He instantly runs at the splatling user as fast as he could. The splatling once again notices him, but hesitates, looking between the exposed agents and the rapidly approaching threat. That hesitation is what kills him.

The splatling decides to give up the easy targets and aim at Ika, but he was too late. By the time he decided, Ika was already on him. With one powerful swing, the splatling is sent sprawling onto the ground. The elite didn't get back up.

At this point, the dynamo had already prepared another swing. The agents reacted too late the sudden stoppage of bullets. They aim, but the octoling was already bringing his roller down again.

The wave of ink flies forwards and Ika watches with wide eyes. "_That'll splat them all! We can't have that, not with this cannon here. We may never reach Octavius again with all the Salmonids too!"_ Despite his thoughts, he knew he couldn't do anything.

Then, a sudden burst of orange surges into the air. Amber pulls back her fist, then send is flying forwards. It hits only air, but that was enough. A shockwave erupts from her fist, slamming into the wave of ink. The ink flies apart from the impact, hitting around the group harmlessly.

Amber grins in satisfaction, then turns to Callie. "Thanks for the tip." Callie just grins back widely.

The elite could only look at his failed attack in disbelief. "What… the hell?!"

"Hey buddy!" The elite looks down and sees Pearl aiming her blaster right at his face. Pearl smirks and says "Don't tussle with agents."

A blast of ink flies from her weapon, hitting the elite in the face. Unlike the other elites, he explodes into a pool of orange ink. No ghost rises from the puddle.

Pearl lowers her weapon with a sigh of relief, then pumps her fist into the air. "HELL YEAH! We are the best!" The agents celebrate slightly at Pearl's words. Even Ika looked at them with a small smile.

Octavius looks at all of his downed elites in rage and disbelief. His other soldiers, seeing how easily their best got taken down, couldn't handle it anymore. They threw their weapons down and ran.

Octavius glances at his running soldiers only once. "No one betrays me and lives."

Sending a mental command, he decides to get rid of his traitors. The running soldiers stop dead in their tracks as the water in front of them erupts outwards, and five Steel Eels come onto the beach. They only get time to scream once before the machines overwhelm them all.

The agents heard the screams and looked down the beach. They only saw it for a second, but it was enough to see the remaining enemy troops to suddenly get splatted by the Steel Eels.

Ika turns to Octavius with a look of disbelief and shock. "What the hell?! You just killed your own troops."

Octavius straightens out his suit with a small grimace. "They betrayed me and deserved to die. This is why I prefer mind-controlled troops."

Whinter just steps forwards with a grin. "Well, now you are defenseless! The Salmonids are all fighting Inkopolis, and they are all pushing your army back into the water!"

Octavius looks at the battlefield with a little curiosity. He could indeed see his army of Salmonids being pushed back into the ocean by the inkling weapons. He raises an eyebrow and says "So they are. Why don't we change that."

Octavius sends a mental command, then snaps his fingers. He had no real reason to, but he wanted a little flare to his next move.

Ika looks at Octavius with caution. "What did you just do?"

Octavius looks at the battlefield with a satisfied smile. "Oh, I just increased my army's number tenfold."

The agents look at him with obvious disbelief, when a sudden horn blares out. One of the octoling commanders keeping recon suddenly sees a large number of box-like ships rising out of the water. His eyes widen when he realizes what they were. "Motherships!"

The inklings and octolings look at the water in surprise, then fear as they see the dozens of Motherships beginning to send out the mob boxes. The chargers aim at the Chinooks beginning to fly at the beach. They take out some, but soon the sky is flied with the flying fish.

The inklings and octolings could only look on in fear as the boxes begin to slam into the ground. The people not sent still with shock set out in destroying the boxes, but there were too many. The Salmonids began to pop out of the boxes, swarming the beach with the fish.

The agents look at the sudden turn of events with wide eyes. Ika looks at the battlefield with wide eyes, then rage. He turns to Octavius with a growl and yells "This won't matter! We'll still stop you."

Octavius looks at Ika with a raised eyebrow. "Stop me? Boy… you've only ever gotten lucky before."

He puts a hand out, gesturing to the battlefield and the quickly overwhelmed city populace. "There was never a doubt that I couldn't take you all down. Not with someone like you leading the defenses."

Ika looks at the octoling with confusion, and slight offense. "What?"

Octavius hears the hurt tone and smirks to himself. "Struck a cord I see? Well, it is true. You are nothing but a boy, only 17… 18 maybe? It doesn't matter. You would never be able to lead this defense when you are so inexperienced."

Ika tries to look at Octavius with confidence, but then his gaze begins to drop down, considering the words. Whinter sees the action and says "Come on, you aren't really going to believe him are you?"

Ika continues to stare at the ground, then sighs. "No… I know he's wrong. It's just… what can I do to stop this?"

The agents turn to the battlefield behind them. Ika doesn't look back, but the sounds he hears are enough to tell him that things were going badly. "I may be the leader, but there's nothing I can do now."

He turns to the agents with a very distressed look. "At this point, we need a miracle. And fast."

The agents look back again, and they had to agree. The Salmonids were everywhere, the bosses forming a thick line of powerful weapons at the shoreline, slowly advancing forwards. The inklings and octolings tried to take out the lesser Salmonids, but things weren't looking good. Most of them grouped around the respawn points, knowing those were what needed the most protection, but the Salmonids still kept getting closer. Ika was right. Only a miracle could save them now.

**-Author Notes-**

**I know these chapters are a bit shorter, but I wanted to keep things easy to follow. A lot is happening, and now things aren't looking good. We'll see what the agents do to this new threat next chapter.**


	66. Chapter 65

**Chapter 65**

Things were looking grim right now. The Salmonids were swarming the defenses, taking them out quickly. Anyone who respawned was clumped into the defense group trying to keep the machines protected. The groups were large, but tightly packed, reducing the efficiency of the groups' efforts.

The Salmonids continued to advance, and the Motherships didn't stop deploying their crates. Eventually their supplies would stop, but the amount was already overwhelming. They needed to do something, and fast.

Ika turns to Pearl and says "Do you think you could clear out the Salmonids close to the defense groups?"

Pearl nods, the gravity of the situation making even her become serious. "Of course I can."

She twists her limiter off, and her power erupts around her. She brings out her special Killer Wail and runs up the hill, trying to get a good placement for it.

While Pearl did that, he had to focus on the next issue. He could see the Motherships hovering over the water, but they were too far to be hit, even with a Tentacharger. Even if it could be hit, the massive machines didn't look like they would be very affected by the charger's beams.

He turns to Amber and says "Three, do you think you could somehow hit those Motherships?"

Amber looks at the flying machines with a little doubt. "The Stingrays don't do anything to them, none of the specials Mr. Grizz gives us do. I don't know if I could take them down at all."

Ika growls slightly in disappointment. Not in Amber, but in the lack of defenses they had against something immune to ink. "Damn it. How do we get rid of them then?"

The agents were at a lost. Without something to both reach the machines and take them down, they had no way of stopping the onslaught.

Amber's eyes begin shifting rapidly, and Ika quickly takes notice. He's been around the agent long enough to know this was her subconscious sign of getting an idea. "What? What are you thinking?"

Amber looks back to the Motherships and says "What about… the booyah bombs?"

Ika looks at her in slight confusion, and then recognition goes across his face. "A booyah bomb. That could work, since it is made of energy."

He turns to Amber and says "Could you even manage a booyah bomb? That energy was only recently found, and it is really powerful."

Amber smirks slightly and says "Do you doubt my abilities to copy a special I use in turf wars all the time?"

Ika looks a little guilty, but he still wasn't certain. "I don't… but that energy is so violent. I could feel it wanting to try and escape my hands when I use it in turf wars. Something like that isn't to be taken lightly."

Amber looks at him in consideration. He did have a point… but she also knew that point. "I understand your concern Seven, but no one here has the ability to make a booyah bomb. It may be a lot to handle for a normal inkling, but I'm also not a normal inkling."

Ika chuckles lightly and says "You definitely aren't."

She smiles in reply and says "Besides, this is our only chance. Nothing else we have could take out those Motherships."

Ika still looks conflicted, and then he sighs in defeat. "Alright, go ahead and do it. Just… be careful."

Amber nods and says "I will."

She turns away from her boyfriend and to the Motherships over the water. She breaths in to calm her nerves, then sets her eyes in a determined and hard gaze.

She twists her limiter and feels as her latent power rises to the surface. Her bright orange aura erupts around her body, and she could feel the physical changes take effect. That didn't matter though. The important thing was the familiar energy that forms the booyah bomb within her body.

She rises into the air, the energy being pushed out of her feet to bring her upwards. Once she gets to a good distance, she brings a hand up and forms the ball of energy.

It sparks into life as a flicker of heat, and then begins to expand. The ink swirls around at the speed of a hurricane, and the energy inside pushes outwards in the form of heat and causing a breeze near Amber.

And then, beeps are heard all across the beach. The inklings and octolings look at their battle communicators in surprise. The small devices were used to keep track of the map in turf wars and the other various battles. It also informed them of when a special is used… such as a booyah bomb.

They all look around in curiosity, wondering why their communicators went off. One inkling sees a flash of orange and looks up. His eyes widen when he sees the famous Agent 3 in the air with a booyah bomb above her head. He points to her and yells "Look! Up there!"

The inklings close by hear him and look up as well. They smile, then begin relaying the message. The various inklings were all looking up in surprise, and then joy as they see the booyah bomb forming in the air.

The octolings, only because of Marina's devices, heard what was happening. They look at the Agent in awe once again. Those who knew what the special was began cheering, taking the initiative for powering up the energy blast.

Eventually, the cheers erupted all across the beach. Even those without knowledge of the incredible power of the booyah bomb began cheering, simply because others were doing it.

Octavius looks at the Inkopolis ranks in confusion, and slight worry. "What is this? Why are they cheering?!" He looks at Amber in a little bit more than confusion, and some worry.

Ika grins, then yells "It's working! Come guys, let's go!" The agents nod, then begin cheering as well.

It might be odd to see this cheering happening, but there was a strange effect with the booyah bomb. Somehow, the special energy was able to take in the cries of excitement and turn them into power. In a team of four, a fully charged booyah bomb could level a house. This was a booyah bomb being charge by an entire city of hundreds of thousands.

The result was the booyah bomb growing exponentially. Amber grins in satisfaction and excitement as she feels the energy flow into the bomb in torrents. The energy was getting to be too much for just one hand though and she brought up the second to stabilize it.

Octavius's eyes grow to the size of saucers when he sees the bomb beginning to expand. "What. Is. THAT?!"

Ika grins at Octavius's worry. "That is what will destroy your Motherships. One of those bombs could level a single-story house with four people cheering. This one is charged by hundreds of thousands!"

Octavius looks at him with complete disbelief, but also extreme worry. "N-No...no one could be that strong!"

Ika nods, turning back to the expanding energy ball. "You're right, no one can. But this isn't one person. This all of Inkopolis uniting as one!" The mad octoling looks at him for a moment, then shakily turns back to the booyah bomb.

The bomb was slowing down in its growth, but the energy was flowing everywhere. The ink around it had increased twentyfold, and it was barely contained. The heat from it was almost to 100 degrees, and the wind thrown out by the incredible force was spraying sand everywhere.

Amber was gritting her beak tightly, just barely able to keep the violent energy from exploding right above her. She looks at the Motherships in the distance and estimates the trajectory she needed to throw the bomb. She was looking for anything that might impede her throw, and then she notices what was under the Motherships.

Since the Motherships wanted to stay out of range, they were over the ocean a good ways back. With the power this bomb was generating, it wouldn't just cause a water displacement. The bomb would throw up enough water to flood the entire beach, stopping only at the hills behind them.

Amber looks down at the agents, the only ones still left on the beach. "HURRY UP AND GET TO THE HILLS! THIS BOMB IS GONNA FLOOD THE BEACH!"

Ika's eyes widen immensely, and he quickly deduces the same thing that Amber did. He turns to the agents and yells "She's right! Everyone to the hills!"

The agents don't need any other motivation and quickly super jump to Pearl, who was already on top of the hill. She was currently in the process of clearing the front lines, but she looked tired. Everytime she would change the position of the Killer Wail, she would rub her throat as if she was parched.

Amber, satisfied that everyone was safe, turns back to the Motherships. She frowns in determination, then brings her arm back. She grits her beak, feeling the energy trying to escape. She pushes it back into the bomb, and the swings her arm forwards. Eyes wide, it leaves her hand with a roar.

The bomb streaks across the sky, the size of a two-story house. It disintegrates any Chinook in its path, not slowing in the slightest. The bomb hits a Mothership, and all hell breaks loose.

The bomb instantly begins to expand, quickly going to double, then triple its size. All during this expansion, the energy packed within it began to explode outwards. The Motherships in the epicenter completely disintegrated, not a trace left behind. The ones at the side had plattings ripped apart, getting launched away from the blast by the explosion. The ones farthest away were still destroyed, sent flying into the ocean or crashing into a landmass by the extreme winds.

Along with the destruction of all the Motherships, the water did exactly as Amber predicted it would be. The water began to boil beneath the water, and then flew upwards in an expanding torrent of water on all side. It flew up, and then crashed down as a tsunami. It flew onto the beach with extreme speeds, completely covering the beach with water. It slams into the hill side, flying upwards along the hill. The inklings and octolings, set back from the water, were safe from the deadly substance.

The water, since it was displaced, had to return to where it came from. The massive flood recedes back into the ocean, leaving behind a wet and puddle filled beach. It would be dangerous to fall on, but they have walked in ink before. This would be a peace of cake.

The Salmonids on the beach were pushed onto the hill, sent sprawling. The Flyfishes and the heavier bosses were unaffected, simply due to their weight or being above the water current.. Curiously, and worryingly, the boxes did not move either, continuing to deposit the Salmonids inside.

The inklings and octolings look at the results in shock, and then cheers erupt. They were amazed at the power shown by the booyah bomb, made by the famous Agent 3 no less. It was an incredible turn of events, and they were all happy about it.

The octoling commanders knew better though and got the populace back into a fighting mood. Despite the Motherships being gone, they were still outnumbered a few hundred Salmonids to one citizen. Realizing they still had a dangerous fight going on, the inklings prepared to fight again.

The agents quickly run back to where they had last saw Octavius. They find the mad octoling staring at the battlefield in complete shock. His final resort for the Salmonid army was just completely wiped out. He turns to the cannon, then sighs in relief when he sees it undamaged and still charging.

He turns to the agents with anger, but still had confidence. "You may have wiped out my Motherships, but I still have my army! They will overwhelm your pathetic defenses, with or without respawn points!"

They turned and had to agree with him, very reluctantly. There were still many more Salmonids than there were inklings, and some were the extremely powerful bosses. Things still looked bad for them.

Octavius sees their worried looks and smirks in satisfaction. "You see that this is inevitable! You can't defeat me, and you won't get another freak chance like you did with the Motherships."

Just as he says that, a sudden cry is heard. The fighting populace all looks behind them in curiosity, then shock. The agents wonder what is being looked at, and then they register a sound. Chanting, within a different but very familiar language, and a lot of footsteps.

Octari grins widely, and Marina's eyes go wide. Octari turns to the agents, giddy, and says "That's the Octarian army chant!"

Ika's eyes widen and says "Does that mean?"

Marina nods dumbly, her excitement beginning to grow. "We have reinforcements. The Octarian army is here!"

They all look at her in surprise, and then turn to the hill. Two figures appear on the hill, very familiar to the agents. And then the army appears. A line of marching octolings going across the hill tops, easily the size of Inkopolis's own inkling and octoling populace. That meant that the numbers had doubled in size.

Inkopolis is once again left in shock, and then they cheer. Now things would definitely swing in their favor.

Octavius's eye twitches, his smirk frozen on his face. He was in complete shock at what the hell just happened. Why is that every time he spoke the WORST THING HAPPENS!?

Just then, Mr. Grizz finally joins the agents. Ika looks at him and says "What took you so long?"

Mr. Grizz gestures to the massive army on the hill. "I called in reinforcements." Ika nods slowly, wide eyed. He didn't even now that Mr. Grizz knew how to contact Octavio.

Just then, Octavio's powerful voice surges across the battlefield. "INKOPOLIS! WE HAVE COME TO ASSIST YOU IN YOUR DEFENSE! IT IS TIME TO WIN THIS WAR!"

The populace of Inkopolis cheers in excitement and determination. This was a much needed turn of events, both for their chances and moral.

Octavio let's out a roar, and the army behind him roars as well. They charge down, their rollers and brushes instantly getting to work on taking out the Salmonids. Satisfied that his army was well under way, he turns to the agents and run to them, Kai following close behind.

He looks at Ika and says "I was notified by this fisherman you have here. He told me what was happening, and that _Octavius _was here." The venom in Octavio's voice when saying the mad octoling's name was quite obvious.

Kai nods, her eyes hard. "There was another good reason. He killed Cap'n, and we aren't going to forgive him."

Octavio growls at the thought, turning to Octavius with fury filled eyes. "You murdered my best friend and comrade. You destroyed the peace I have upheld, and now you try to commit mass genocide! Your time has come Octavius. You will fall!"

Octavius looks at the agents and their allies with his own anger. His eye, twitching rapidly, was showing his obvious rage. He grits his beak, then yells "You think this is over you old fool?! I have one last resort, and it will NOT fail!"

He pulls out his remote and practically slams his hand on the bottom button. A mechanical blare sounds across the battlefield, and most of the agent's eyes present in the battles with Octavio go wide. Octavio, the most shocked, stutters out "W-Was that?!"

The water in front of them bursts apart, and a machine rises into the air. The DJ booth and stage-like background was an obvious sign, but the machine did not have fists. Instead, it had eight mechanical octopus tentacles around the front, very reminiscent of the giant ones in Octavio's first arena.

Ika's eyes go even wider when he recognizes the machine. "T-That's… that's…!"

Octavius laughs loudly, and the agents look at him in surprise. His eye on the goopy side was wide, the pupil small. The other eye was narrowed in satisfaction and rage. His mouth was wide with an insane grin, and they realized now that the octoling had completely lost it.

Octavius on the other hand was relishing their fear and shock. "You realize now your inevitable defeat! Prepare for your demise!"

He turns into an octopus and then super jumps into the mech. He clicks a button and the shield shimmers around the mech. He was laughing maniacally, relishing this moment. The agents, ripped out of their shock by the sudden movement, began to prepare themselves. This Octo Bot King was obviously much more powerful than Octavio's, and Octavius wouldn't hold back. This was the deciding factor of this war. If they lost, Inkopolis would fall. The final battle has come.

**-Author Notes-**

**This is it. Things are coming to the climax, and next chapter should be much longer. This is going to wrap things up, so prepare yourselves!**


	67. Chapter 66

**Chapter 66**

The giant machine loomed over the agents, and the sound of the cannon charging filled their ears. They were all ready to fight, eager to finish what started long ago.

Octavio narrows his eyes and says "How did you even make this machine? Even you can't simply reverse engineer it!"

Octavius chuckles, stroking a finger across one on the turntables. "It was simple really. I just had to take it from you when I was in control. You never were the wiser."

He grins and says "So I must thank you for this Octavio. You just devised the way for me to end all of inkling life."

Octavio shakes his head and says "This is nothing. I know my machines inside and out, even with modifications. We can beat you eventually."

Octavius just smirks and says "Maybe so, but you don't have eventually. That cannon is charging quickly, and will be ready to fire in five minutes. You best get moving, because the clock is ticking."

The agents knew Octavius wasn't bluffing. That cannon has charged much faster before, so they were short on time.

Ika then says "Alright everyone, this is it. We need to finish him off now."

He turns to Pearl and Marina and says "Pearl, Marina, we need you two to be ready to get help if things are starting to look bad. You two have the most influence with the populace, so you are the best."

Pearl looks ready to retort, but Marina puts a hand over her mouth. Marina smiles and says "Of course. Just stay safe." Ika nods, and the two run off, Pearl complaining the entire time.

Ika turns to the agents and is about to continue when he sees Mr. Grizz step up. He tilts his head and says "Is something wrong Mr. Grizz?"

Mr. Grizz looks down, then says "I believe… I could disable the cannon."

Ika raises an eyebrow, along with most of the agents. "Can you do it in five minutes though? That is some high tech stuff up there."

Mr. Grizz nods and says "Of course. I… made the cannon after all."

The agents… weren't sure what to say at that. Ika's confusion was only rising, but he was getting suspicious. "What?"

Mr. Grizz sighs, then says "Remember when I said I had a secret that would make others want to kill me?"

When Ika nods, Mr. Grizz continues. "Those others were… you agents."

The agents all gasp in shock or murmur in confusion. Ika shakes his head and says "Why would we do that?"

Mr. Grizz looks down again and says "When I take my helmet off, you'll see why."

The agents look at him with wide eyes, not sure if they were hearing right. No one's ever seen Mr. Grizz's face, or any of his body. The most they've gotten was when Ika, Callie, and Marie got that look at his black and blue eyes.

Mr. Grizz reaches up and grabs his helmet. He pulls it off, flipping one of his tentacles backwards, and the agents give a collective gasp of shock. Even Octavius looked intrigued.

Mr. Grizz was an octoling, that was certain. He had a similar hairstyle to Octari, but his was shorter and more messy looking. His eyes were the same black and blue the Cuttlefish family saw, but that was the end of normality.

His skin was a sickly green color, and his tentacles were a dark blue, ending in dark green. His face also had a slightly goopy look to it, some of the skin discolored to blue and inky.

The agents only needed a glance before they could see what he was. Octavia, who had only just finished her year long recovery, was the first to reply. "S-Sanitization?!"

Mr. Grizz nods numbly, a frown on his mouth. "Yes. But… not exactly the same as you think."

He looks at them all, his eyes worried but hard. "If you remember, Tartar had that goop with him. He was forming it into the perfect specimen, the perfect being. I… I am that being."

The agents just look at him with complete shock. Mr. Grizz nods and says "I only know this from the chip Tartar installed in my brain. It contains his knowledge, all his intelligence. I have… basically become Tartar."

It was at this that Octavia backs up in fear. No, even more than fear. She wasn't present anymore, her eyes wide and tears building up quickly. Her memories of the phone were too horrid, too violent for her. She was breaking down.

Octari instantly rushes to her side and Octavio quickly deduces the reason for his daughter's panic attack. He marches to Mr. Grizz, or Tartar now, with a very angry expression. He grabs the sailor by his collar and hoists him off the air. With a very threatening tone, he says "Why are you here? I have heard what you did, and what you have done to my people, and I cannot say I can forgive you."

Tartar may have been an AI, but he was shivering in fear at the giant octoling in front of him. There was a fury in Octavio's eyes that Tartar didn't want to release. He puts his hands up shakily and says "I-I may be Tartar, b-but I'm not the same! The phone was a-an AI. I-I am a living b-being!"

Whinter growls and says "Made by the same machine that killed and zombified hundreds!"

Tartar nods in agreement and says "I-I know, but give me a chance! I know that what I did was wrong... no, what the previous Tartar did. I won't associate with that menace."

The agents looked unconvinced, but Octavia's ear had twitched. She heard the statement through her panic attack. She looks over shakily, tears still in her eyes, but back in the present.

Tartar continues with "I've never tried to do anything wrong! After that whole event with the statue, I just became a Salmonid hunter. I wanted to do something good to repay the evils my predecessor committed!"

Octavio growls and looks like he was ready to beat up the sanitized octoling anyways, when a voice suddenly says "F-Father, stop!"

Octavio stops dead in his tracks, looking over to the side. Octavia was back on her feet, looking at Octavio with a determined expression. Octavio lowers his hand and says "Octavia? Are you ok?"

Octavia nods, sniffling slightly, but her gaze doesn't waver. "I-I'm fine, but I want you to put T-T-Tartar down."

Octavio looks at Tartar, then to Octavia. "But he tried to kill you! He could do it to others!"

Octavia nods and says "I know, but that was the phone! This is an octoling, living and breathing, and with morals! He isn't an emotionless machine like the phone was. So please… give him a chance."

Octavio looks at her in surprise, along with the agents. He sighs, then says "Fine." He let's go of Tartar's collar suddenly, causing the blue octoling to stumble when he landed.

Octavia stands next to her dad, and Tartar says "Thank you for giving me a chance."

Octavia glances at him and just says "You're welcome. Just… don't make me regret it." Tartar nods.

Octavius claps suddenly, causing the agents to turn to him. "How sentimental! That only shaved off a whole minute in our fun! Best get moving~."

The agents suddenly seem to realize that they wasted their time. They quickly prepare themselves, and then run at the machine.

Ink flies everywhere as Octavius simply watches. He messes with a turntable, unfazed at the barrage of ink. The shield stopped it all anyways. He yawns, examining his hand in disinterest.

Ika stops trying to break the shield when he sees exactly what Octavius was doing. "I-Is he… mocking us?!"

Octavius smirks and says "Of course I am. You keep firing at me when you see the shield."

He turns to a normal position and grins widely, fingering the various buttons on the mech. "Now then, let's dance!"

He flicks a turntable and a tentacle quickly lashes outwards. Octavia's eyes widen immensely and she tries to dodge the attack, but the machine was too fast. It hits her and send her sliding across the sand.

Octari's eyes widen, and then she growls. "Don't mess with my friend!" She begins running around the machine, trying to find someway to damage it.

Octavius scoffs at the attempt and flips a turntable casually. A tentacle flies out straight at Octari. The octoling ducks under the blow, and continues to run.

And then, another tentacle hits her from above. It raises slowly, and Octari is seen there, her clothes tattered and stuck in the sand. She tries to pick herself up, but can't.

Octavius laughs at the ease he took the two agents down. "Two of them already out for the count! This mech is much more effective than I thought."

He grins as he notices one of the agents looking at him in fear. "Ah… fear. Panic. Good reactions for this Agent Blue. But… it isn't going to save you."

Whinter's eyes widen as he sees another tentacle begin to move towards him. He turns and tries to run, but the tentacle latches onto his leg quickly. It picks him up and begins to twirl him around.

Clementine watches with shock, and then anger. She turns to Octavius and yells "Let him go!"

Octavius grins menacingly and says "If you insist."

The tentacle spins Whinter around one more time, Whinter's screams echoing around the area. Then, the tentacle brings Whinter up, and then throws him directly at Clementine. She had no time to react before Whinter hits her like a rocket, the two sent sprawling in the sand.

Octavio shakes his head, then says "Kai, with me. We can take him on." Kai nods and the two run at the machine.

Octavius notices the two of them and instantly send the tentacles towards them. The two octolings, having trained all their lives, were able to avoid the tentacles with some ease.

Octavius growls as he sees the two still getting closer. "Enough of this."

He pushes a dial up the table, and two compartments slide apart on the side. The mech suddenly lurches back slightly as it launches something from the compartments.

Octavio's eyes widen when he sees something as big as he is land in front of him. It looked like sort of machine with beeping lights on top, and legs. Octavio instantly knew what it was. "An autobomb!"

The bomb turns to him and beeps loudly. It begins to run at the octoling king, and Octavio backs up rapidly. The bomb continues to chase him, somehow staying in speed with the king. And then, it blows up.

The blast pushes Octavio off of his feet, making him roll across the sandy ground. He slams into a rock in the ground, stopping suddenly. He grunts in pain as he feels his fragile back spark with pain at the impact. He tries to get up, but a flare of pain keeps him on the ground.

Kai was more ready for the giant autobomb. She quickly runs away from it, leaping backwards to keep some distance. The bomb just kept following her relentlessly.

Daniel, tired of just waiting around, yells to the remaining agents. "Come on, let's go!" The other agents nod, then run into the fray.

The bomb, having lasted its short lifespan, finally blew up. Kai, as she sees it ready to burst, used her gauntlets to rocket away from the blast. Now, she could go back to fighting.

Octavius looks on in annoyance as he sees six agents now running at him at once. He growls, then wordlessly begins to operate the robotic tentacles to attack the agents.

Every agent saw the tentacles coming and began to avoid them. Ika, Kai, and Daniel had the easiest time, the three of them being extremely nimble or having some way to avoid the machine better. Marie, seeing how she had very little dodging capabilities on her own, began to use the bouncing tactic that Octari taught them. It was doing her well.

She was so focused on her dodging that she never noticed Callie having troubles. The shades may increase her power, but not her speed. The black-haired pop star was hard pressed to avoid the two tentacles attacking her.

Octavius notices the lag in Callie's advances, and then grins. There was an easy target.

He turns the turntables again, and the two tentacles attacking Kai close in on Callie. Callie doesn't even notice since she was already focused on dodging the two tentacles around her.

The two extra tentacles come in without warning, slamming into the roller-wielding inkling's body. She grunts in pain as she is sent flying across the beach, grinding painfully against the sand.

Marie's eyes widen in shock, and she yells "Marie!"

Octavius turns his gaze to her and says "Volunteering to be next Ms. Marie?! Then be my guest!"

He sends the four unoccupied tentacles, along with the one already attacking Marie to her. Marie's eyes widen, this time in surprise, and she begins to bounce around the tentacles.

Octavius just grins like cat playing with a mouse and says "You will be captured eventually Ms. Marie! You should've stayed with me!"

Marie growls and yells "I'll never work under you again! That was hell!"

Octavius shrugs, then says "Oh well. Bye then!" He laughs suddenly as the five tentacles converge onto Marie. She looks around, trying to find a way out, when one of the tentacles shoots forwards suddenly. The octo inkling was taken completely off guard and was hoisted into the air.

Octavius flicks the turntable and the tentacle flicks Marie away. She slams into the ground face first, sliding along it. She suddenly screams and pries her face from the ground, obviously in pain.

Ika's eyes widen immensely at the sudden action. "What?! Why is she screaming?!"

Octavius smirks and gestures around himself. "Thanks to that little trick you and Agent 3 did, the beach is now soaked in water. It is going to hurt when he slide along it, especially with exposed skin!"

Ika looks at him with shock, then realization. "That's why the agents aren't getting up. They hurt too much."

Octavius points at him and says "Bingo! Now… let's continue, shall we?"

The four remaining agents prepared themselves for the next attack from the tentacles. The robotic appendages loom over them threateningly, and then dart forwards.

They all began to dodge the machine once more, slowly advancing forwards. Ika was trying to coat a tentacle in ink, seeing if he could somehow send it back. It wasn't working so far.

Kai on the other hand wanted to test something she did with Konton before. Using her ink gauntlets, she was avoiding the tentacles easily. Now came the next step in her plan.

She turns to Daniel, who was avoiding the tentacles as well as she was, and says "Daniel! Distract him for me!"

Daniel glances at her once, then nods. He begins making his way towards her. Once he arrives, he smirks and says "Octavius! Give me a real challenge. This is too easy!"

Octavius does a sudden 180, and his eye twitches. "Too easy?! Then how about this!"

Two more tentacles converge on Daniel, and he still is able to dodge them, albeit much harder this time. And, it just so happened that the tentacles Octavius turned to Daniel were the ones attacking Kai.

Free from any oppression, Kai begins the next step. She turns into an octopus, compressing herself tightly. She narrows her eyes, looking at the rapidly moving metal parts, aiming at Octavius. She sees an opening, and super jumps.

The purple octopus flies forwards with extreme speeds. She narrowly avoids the metallic tentacles, making her way to the mech itself.

Octavius's eyes widen when he sees the octopus suddenly shooting directly at him. He was worried, and then reassured himself. "_The shield is up. It'll stop h-"_

He gets no farther as Kai passes right through the shield. His eyes widen in shock, and then a fist slams into him. He rolls across the cockpit, slamming into the wall of the booth.

Kai moves forwards quickly to the dazed commander. She prepares another punch, and sends it forwards. Octavius hears the gauntlet cutting the air and rolls to the side.

Kai stumbles slightly when she finds no resistance, but quickly rights herself. Octavius picks himself off the ground and he sees Kai stumble.

The two turn to each other, and Octavius growls loudly. He rushes forwards, throwing punch after punch. Kai deflects them or dodges them, but was surprised at the speed and technique behind the punches.

She continued to backup subconsciously, and then stumbles as she feels a sudden resistance behind her. She glances back and sees the edge of the booth behind her.

Octavius's inky hand suddenly lashes out and grabs Kai's head. The elite's eyes widen and she screams, the contact burning her skin. Her screams are suddenly cut off as the ink-covered hand latches onto her mouth.

The mad octoling grins widely, loving every sound of pain coming from the soldier. "You know the good thing about this accursed condition?! My own hand is a weapon!"

Octavius hoists the hybrid off the ground, Kai still screaming silently from behind the hand. She was clawing at Octavius's hand, trying to pry it off. Her eyes were shut tight, tears building up in them.

Octavius grunts in exertion as he throws Kai out of the mech. The elite falls to the floor, holding her mouth tightly in pain. A single tentacle comes over and knocks her away from the machine, landing close to Octavio.

Octavius hums slightly as he gets back in the mech. "One, two… three agents. Out of the… twelve of you that came, only three remain? Hmm… I could've sworn I only hit eight…"

His eyes widen suddenly as he remembers something. "Wait… where is the blue one?!"

He looks around, trying to locate Tartar. His eyes move to the side where he sees the cannon, and his eyes widen even more when he sees Tartar sneaking closer.

Tartar was so close to super jump range, when a tentacle suddenly slams in front of him. He looks back shakily, only to find Octavius looking at him with a psychopath grin. "Trying to get to the cannon, hm?! Well, that isn't going to work!"

The tentacle moves back, and Tartar looks at it in confusion. And then, the appendage shoots forwards. It slams into Tartar like a bull and launches him all the way back to the hills.

Octavius smirks, looking back at the three remaining agents. "There goes the pesky one. Now only three to go…"

Ika grimaces slightly, his eyes worried. "This isn't looking good…"

Daniel just adjust his hold on his dualies and says "Well, we can't do much else but dodge right now. We need a way past that shield."

Amber narrows her eyes at the shield, studying it. "That shield… it only blocks ink, right?"

Ika looks at her and says "I believe so… why?"

Amber grins slightly and says "I may have our solution."

Daniel eyes widen suddenly and he yells "Well save it for later! Incoming!:

The eight robotic tentacles once again begin their attack, but now there were only three targets. Two converged on Ika, three on Amber, and three on Daniel.

The agents were doing well, when Octavius suddenly says "Time to speed things up bit!"

He slides a dial up, and two of the tentacles get coated in ink. They instantly begin to attack Daniel, trying to hit the hybrid. The attack didn't change, but Daniel was suddenly feeling a sting everytime he avoided a tentacle.

His eyes widen when he sees ink fly off of it and hit his armor. "The tentacle is spreading ink!"

Octavius grins and says "Right you are! And when ink doesn't hit a person, it sticks to the ground!"

Daniel raises an eyebrow in confusion, when he suddenly stumbles back. He lands on his back, and his eyes widen when he feels a burning all across his back. He quickly picks himself up, looking back to find out what hurt him. His eyes widen when he himself in a puddle of ink.

Octavius looks at Daniel and says "Check." A tentacle flies forwards and grabs the hybrid inkling. It hoists him into the air, then slams him into the ground. A plume of dust shoots upwards, and Daniel is unmoving.

Amber's eyes widen when she sees Daniel get knocked out. They widen even more in surprise when she sees shadows form around her. She looks around in a panic as seven tentacles suddenly surround her on all sides. They close around her, and Amber is effectively trapped.

Octavius lifts his finger off the turntable and says "Mate."

He looks at Ika and says "While it was fun playing with you agents, I think I am done messing around. It's time to die… and you are the FIRST to go!"

Ika's eyes widen as he sees the tentacle get covered in ink, and then slash out at him. Ika jumps back, avoiding the hit just barely. The tentacle continues to slash out, and Ika could swear it was speeding up.

And then, the tentacle grabs him. His eyes close tightly in pain as he feels the ink burn his skin. He grits his beak though, refusing to scream.

Octavius was grinning in satisfaction, and then frowns. The inkling wasn't screaming yet. Octavius brings the agents closer, narrowing his eyes at the agent. "Why aren't you screaming? Scream for me!"

Ika cracks an eye open and says "G-Go to hell…"

Octavius's eyes narrow dangerously, and he says "Tell me what it's like first."

The tentacle raises up, aiming at the ocean. Ika's eyes widen when he realizes what Octavius was going to do. "_He's gonna throw me into the ocean! The respawn points don't reach that far!"_

Octavius laughs, preparing to send the agent flying. "Say goodbye, Agent 7!"

Just as the tentacle finishes preparing a throw, rings suddenly form around it. Octavius makes a noise of confusion, raising an eyebrow at the strange sight.

Then, just as sudden as the rings, a beam of ink flies forwards. It slams into the tentacle, pushing against it. The tentacle lurches, then snaps off, unable to handle the pressure of the beam. It flies forwards and lands in the sand with an explosion of dust.

Octavius's eyes widen immensely at the sudden event. He growls and turns back to the battlefield, yelling "Who did that?!"

His eyes widen immensely when he sees three new additions to the battle, along with an old one. Pearl and Marina were standing there, glaring at Octavius. Pearl was in her powered-up form, her Killer Wail resting in front of her.

And then behind the two were two more people. The massive size and octoling tentacles made it easy to pick out the first one. Konton. And then there was Tartar, breathing slightly heavy and gripping his arm tightly.

Pearl points at Octavius and yells "Hey asshole! Why don't you pick on someone your own size, like me!"

Octavius looks at them in disbelief, and then smirks. "I have beaten all the agents. What makes you any different?"

Pearl grins suddenly and points at something. Octavius raises an eyebrow and looks at where she was pointing. It was at the tentacles around Amber, but they were glowing orange

Suddenly, a burst of neon orange light blasts forwards, and the tentacles are forcefully retracted by the mech. Amber is seen there, aura blazing around her, and glaring daggers at Octavius.

The mad octoling looks at her in shock, then at Pearl. He quickly draws the connection between the two, but he tries to rid himself of doubts. He just shakes his head and says "That means nothing!"

Pearl grins, then says "Then try hitting her."

Octavius growls, his eye twitches, and yells "Fine then! DIE!"

A tentacle rockets forwards towards Amber. Octavius grins when he sees the agent not move.

Just as the tentacle gets close, Amber's eyes narrow. Her hand shoots out, only a blur. It latches onto the tentacle, stopping it in its tracks. Amber's arm shakes as she holds it back, but she herself was unmoved.

Octavius's eyes widen in complete shock and utter disbelief. "W-What?!"

Pearl turns to Konton and Tartar and says "You two get to that cannon and shut it down. We'll handle things here." The two nod, then begin to run across the beach towards the giant machine.

Octavius notices them and yells "No you don't!"

A single tentacle moves quickly towards them, on the path to intersect their path. And then, a blur of white and orange rushes to the tentacle. Pearl stops in front of the tentacle, a fist cocked back. With a yell, she sends it flying forwards "HYA!"

Her punch, empowered by her unlimited form, sent a shockwave flying forwards. It slams into the tentacle, knocking it backwards and creating a deep crater in the metal.

Octavius's eyes widen and he looks between the two super-powered inklings. "I… um… o-oh shit…"

Pearl smirks and says "Yeah, nice words for this." The two agents tense, then run at the machine.

Meanwhile Konton and Tartar were getting closer and closer to the cannon. Finally, they get within super jump range. The two of them turn into octopi, and then launch into the air.

They land on top of the cannon, Konton stumbling slightly on it, his grip on his Octo Shot tight.

Tartar lands without any problem and instantly runs to a nearby panel. He rips it open and looks inside, examining the wiring. "This is the same design I used. Keep me covered while I disable this thing!"

Konton looks at him in confusion and says "Cover you from what?"

Tartar, already kneeling into the open compartment, calmly says "Look below us."

Konton raises an eyebrow, then looks down. His eyes widen in shock when he sees a large amount of Salmonids… crawling up the cannon.

Konton aims his Octo Shot at the fish and begins to fire. He grimaces and yells "What the hell?! These things are climbing the cannon!"

Tartar nods to himself and says "I know. Just keep them from reaching us." Konton nods, and then focuses on firing at the fish.

As he was firing, he suddenly hears a beeping sound. He frowns and looks around, trying to find the source of the noise.

"Focus Konton." The big octo inkling looks at Tartar in surprise. "_How the hell did he know?"_

He shakes his head, then looks down. He yelps and loses his grip on his gun when he sees the Salmonids suddenly a lot closer. He manages to right his gun and fires at them again.

"Ah... shit!" Konton, having learned his lesson, doesn't look back. "What?"

Tartar grimaces as he notices a timer within the compartment. "We have thirty seconds! This is going to cut it close!"

Konton frowns in worry, but continues to fire at the Salmonids who were still coming strong. "Just hurry up and disable the damn thing!"

Tartar growls slightly and yells "I know!" He shakes his head, moving another wire. He grabs a red one, pulling it out and re-attaching it elsewhere.

**Twenty**

Konton growls as he feels the shaking of the cannon increase. "How much is left?!"

Tartar doesn't look away from his work as he responds. "Just a little more!"

**Ten**

Tartar was sweating at this point as he grabs another wire and lets it dangle uselessly. He pulls out another and puts it in the previous wires place.

**Five**

He was so close, he knew it. He could feel it. Just a couple more.

**Four**

He grabs another wire, pulling it out.

**Three**

He lets it dangle and grabs another wire.

**Two**

Konton's eyes widen in immense worry as he feels the shaking increase exponentially. "M-Mr. Grizz?!"

**One**

Tartar jams the wire into place, and shuts his eyes tight. The cannon's shaking stops increasing, and then begins to die down.

Tartar opens his eyes hesitantly, then pulls his head out of the compartment. He looks around, trying to determine if it worked.

Konton suddenly runs over and yells "You did it! The cannon stopped charging!"

Tartar looks at him, then sighs in relief. His eyes close and a smile is on his face. "_Finally… I repaid my debt. My past can finally rest."_

Meanwhile, back on the beach, things were looking just as good. Octavius couldn't do anything to the super-powered agents. They completely overpowered any attempt he had at damaging them, and he was growing desperate.

Pearl slides to a stop in front of the battered mech, Amber doing the same. Pearl stands up straight and says "Just give up already! You can't beat us."

Octavius looks between them, unable to believe he was beaten a third time. "N-No… N-NO! I WILL NOT FAIL AGAIN!"

He slams his fist on a button and Octavius begins to laugh loudly. A panel opens up behind Octavius and something that looked like a giant nozzle head made its way forwards, stopping just behind Octavius.

Pearl narrows her eyes and says "What is that?"

Octavius just looks at her with wide eyes, an insane grin on his face. "This is the instrument of your demise! I have connected a hose to the ocean, and now I will kill you all!"

Pearl and Amber's eyes widen, and they look past the mech. Their eyes widen even more when they see a long and gigantic hose going from the mech into the water.

Amber turns back and yells "But you'll die as well!"

Octavius just giggles to himself, his mind completely gone. "I know! Isn't that wonderful?! I get to wash you all away!"

The two look at Octavius in shock, completely taken back by the octoling's attitude. Pearl shakes his head and says "The guy's lost it!"

Octavius giggles again and says in a singsong voice "Say goodbye agents to your populace!"

He presses a red button, his grin large and expectant. His grin wavers as nothing happens. He presses it again, but nothing happens. He frowns and presses it again. When nothing happens for the third time, he yells "Why isn't this damn thing working?!"

"Hey Octavius!" The insane octoling looks behind himself in confusion. He turns to the hose, where the voice originated from, and his eyes widen.

Ika was standing there, bruises on his body and bits of his body inky from the watery ground. His legs were shaking and one arm was limp at his side. But, his other arm held his brush tightly. Next to him was the hose, severed right next to where he was standing.

Octavius looks at the severed hose in shock, then to Ika. His eyes narrow dangerously, and Octavius suddenly screams "YOU BASTARD!"

He screams wordlessly, leaping out of his mech. He rushes at Ika, fury evident in his eyes. Ika narrows his eyes, gritting his beak. He tenses himself, ignoring the pain he felt. Just as Octavius gets close to him, he dodges to the side.

Octavius, meeting no resistance like he expected, stumbles. He trips on the uneven ground and falls down, hitting the water soaked sand.

He stares at the ground, his tentacles masking his face. His eyes were wide and shaking, and he was sweating from the pure anger he felt. His mouth was open slightly, and his whole body was shaking.

And then, his mouth slowly begins to form a grin. His eyes, still wide and wild, began to fog up with his insanity. He chuckles slightly, and then does it again. He laughs, the sound quiet.

Ika looks at Octavius in confusion, Amber and Pearl joining by his side. Octavius was just kneeling on the ground, shaking and laughing quietly.

Suddenly, Octavius lurches back, staring into the heavens. His laughing changes from a quiet sound to a roar. The agents step back in shock at the sudden motion.

Octavius grins widely at the sky, staring at something only he could see. "Hehehe… of course I'll join you all! The ocean was my ancestors were in the ocean. I shall join them!"

He laughs loudly, picking himself off the ground. He suddenly runs at the ocean, his grin still on his face. The agents' eyes widen in shock as they see the suicidal move.

Octavius runs into the water, not even registering the fact that his legs were dissolving. "Embrace me O' ocean! I am home with my fishy brethren! HAHAHA!"

The agents could only watch in silence and shock as Octavius dives under the water. Shortly after, a single suit floats to the surface.

Pearl, her eyes wide and disbelieving, stutters out "D-Did he just… k-kill himself?!"

Ika nods, his face grim. "He lost it. His madness led him to his death."

Amber looks at the clothing floating in the water with mild disturbance. "But that doesn't just happen. Insanity doesn't kill you, you need a reason for it."

Ika thinks on the final words of the crazed octoling commander. One thing stood out to him. "He said… he was joining his 'fishy brethren'. I think that whole mind thing he did with the Salmonids caused him to lose it. Maybe he could handle it before… but after being defeated again, he couldn't keep the mental barricades up. He was taken over by the Salmonids."

Pearl grimaces and says "Wow. That is freaky." Ika just nods.

Amber looks to Ika and says "What do we do now?"

Ika looks back, taking in the disabled cannon and the battered mech. The Salmonids, having lost their controller, were motionless. The inklings and octolings were quickly clearing them up.

Ika smiles slightly and says "I think… we go back home."

Amber looks at him and says "Really?"

Ika nods. "I think so. We won guys. We did it."

The two agents didn't seem to believe his words, including Ika himself. They then slowly make their way back to the battlefield, slightly numb. Now that the battle was over, things felt strange, almost like the battle still wasn't over.

Despite these feelings, they knew that things had ended. Once they reached the other agents, they helped them back on their feet. They would need time to recover, but things were looking good now. They could finally rest easy with Octavius gone.

The agents gather around Ika and look at him expectantly. Whinter shifts on his feet and says "So… we really won?"

Ika nods. Daniel then says "So… what now?"

Ika and Amber share a look. Amber said the same thing earlier. And Ika, despite saying this earlier as well, knew it was what the agents needed. They were battered and exhausted and needed the rest.

He turns to them with a smile and says the magic words. "Let's go home."

**-Author Notes-**

**And thus, things come to a close. Octavius is defeated, Inkopolis and Ceph City are clearing out the Salmonids. There will be an epilogue, but that was the final chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this story!**


	68. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

After the battle, the inklings and octolings returned home. There were no casualties with the respawn points set up, but the event had a lasting impression on the populace. They were more united than ever before. The inklings and octolings have finally mended the friendship they lost a century ago.

Marina also found out how to reverse the octoling transformations. It turned out to be a similar process to sanitization in how it operates. They just had to remove the liquid inside the inklings and they turned back right then and there. It was painful transforming that quickly, and they were lucky the liquid was only in the ink sack and not the whole body, but they were happy.

The agents went back to their normal lives, enjoying the peace they had. This long battle against the evils of Octavius had finally ended, and it was a big relief for them.

For some, they ended their lives as agents. Clementine and Whinter settled down and had two twin children. They were a handful, taking in their father and mother's energy, but they were the world to the inkling couple.

Callie and Marie settled into a peaceful yet exciting life of turf wars. They quickly rose to the top, even taking part in the big league tournaments. They were enjoying every second of it.

Octari and Octavia, after some debating, returned to Ceph City. They wanted to spend their time with Octavio while they had the chance. The king may be strong and fit, but he was old. He would wear away eventually, and that could be soon. They didn't want to take chances.

Pearl and Marina continued to do the news. They enjoyed seeing the inklings look up to them and hoped to inspire them to be as good as they could be. After all, both Pearl and Marina started small, but ended on top. They wanted others to see they could too.

Daniel and Kai settled out their relationship. Kai ended up leaving the army, earning an honorable discharge for all her efforts. She moved to Inkopolis, and the two became a couple, living peacefully within their small apartment.

Ika and Amber, they got engaged shortly after the battle. They settled down as well, but couldn't ever give up their lives as agents. The two, along with Callie and Marie, now run the agency. They protect the city from criminals and any sort of "bad" work the police don't want to do themselves. The agency was still secret, but they were getting paid for their work now. The two were happy for that; they could live comfortably and continue their agent lives.

Now, fourteen years later, things were still looking just as good. Inkopolis was running smoothly, and the populace was happy. The battle, now named as the "Battle of Inkopolis Beach", was a famous example of the agent's power.

Inklings and octolings from both Inkopolis and Ceph City wanted to be agents. They were so strong, so talented! And the adventures they had, it was all amazing!

Ika heard these pleas. Being the new leader of the agency, he now ran a training program for young inklings and octolings planning to be agents. The training was hard and difficult, and only the best passed. Despite this, everyone has tried the daunting challenge.

**-Agency Dojo-**

Ika watches in satisfaction as he sees the line of young inklings and octolings sparring with each other. He had his half-face mask on and hero gear, but his shades were raised above his eyes. He wanted to let the students see his eyes, let them know he wasn't to be feared, but trusted.

He hears a noise behind himself and turns around. He smiles when he sees Callie and Marie enter the dojo, also within their hero gear and disguised. Callie grins widely at her brother, saying "How's it going in here Seven?"

Over time, the hypnoshades lost their personality effect on Callie all together. They didn't really know why, but Callie just thought she became immune.

Ika just eye smiles, the only way they know he was smiling with his mask on, and says "Good so far. This batch really is doing well."

Marie points a certain student and says "Isn't that Daniel and Kai's boy?"

Ika looks over to the inkling in question. He had no eye mask, but his ears were pointed. His hair was fibers, just like his parents. He had a squid form, but his natural ink color was the purple of the Octarians.

The black-haired agent watches as the young hybrid continues to spar with his partner, one of the twins Clementine and Whinter had. "He is. Certainly a strong one, just like his parents." Marie nods in agreement.

Callie looks over at Ika and says "Where's your daughter? Wasn't she coming?"

Ika sighs, then says "If you can get her to get out of the house. That girl is so spoiled, being the niece of two famous pop stars." He looks at them with a lazy glare, as if they were to blame.

Marie just eye smiles in return and says "I can't help it. She's so adorable."

Callie nods in agreement. "Yeah. Looks just like her mom, but with your eyes and mind!"

Ika shrugs, then says "Ah, well, she doesn't have her motivation. But… I'm not going to force her. The agency isn't for everyone… although I wish she'd just try."

He looks at the clock, and seeing it say 7:00 PM, says "About time to wrap this session up." Callie and Marie nod in understand. With a short farewell, they leave the room.

Ika claps his hands and says "Alright everyone, that's enough for today! I hope you practice well at home, and continue using those weapons I gave you in turf wars!"

The students give a loud "HAI!", then begin to leave. Ika, satisfied everyone knew everything was over, walks to the person he wanted to see.

He stops by the hybrid inkling and taps his shoulder. The kid jumps, then looks at Ika with wide eyes. "O-Oh, uncle Ika! I-I didn't see you there."

Ika smiles and says "Hey, what did I say about using my name when I am in disguise?"

The hybrid looks down, embarrassed at his mistake. "N-Not to say it…"

Ika tilts his head at the timid demeanor of the inkling. He chuckles and says "Hey, lighten up squirt! I didn't mean to make you upset."

The hybrid looks back up, then nods. Ika helps him gather the rest of his things, and then walks with the smaller inkling out of the building. "So Ethan, anything else planned for tonight?"

Ethan shakes his head. "N-No. I've gotta get home, or else mom is going to get mad."

Ika chuckles, then says "Oh, Kai can be strict."

Ethan nods again, a little more solemnly. "I just wish she would let me hang out with Ashlyn more."

Ika glances down at him. The young inkling was talking of his daughter.

Ika kneels down and looks at Ethan. The young inkling looks at Ika in confusion. Ika puts a hand on Ethan's shoulder and says "Don't let it bum you out, k? She just wants to protect you.

Ethan sighs slightly, then says "I know…"

Ika smiles and pats him on the back. "Good."

Ika stands back up, making exaggerated stretching sounds as he does so, making Ethan laugh a little at how silly it was. Ika grins widely and says "I think you should head home now. Don't want your mom upset."

Ethan nods, then turns and runs down the street. The young inkling turns and waves at his surrogate uncle. Ika waves back lazily, smiling at the younger inkling.

Once Ethan disappears around the corner, Ika sighs loudly. He pulls out his phone and looks at it. A single text message was on it.

**Amber**

"**Hey, I'm gonna be up at our spot. Hope you get here soon. XOXO"**

Ika raises an eyebrow at the Xs and Os at the end, but ultimately ignores it. He pockets his phone, then turns to a certain direction. He transforms into a squid, then rockets off of the sidewalk.

The red squid flies through the air, angled at a large building within the city. It looked like a massive spire, and had TVs flashing different shows and battles all over it. It was Inkopolis Tower.

Ika lands on top of the tower, in the small basket-like balcony at the top. He looks around, wondering where Amber was, when he feels arms wrap around his neck. And then, a soft and seductive voice says "Hey honey."

Ika grins and turns around. There he sees his lovely wife Amber. Over the years her body had filled out completely, giving her a very generous body. Her young and cartoonish proportions disappeared, giving her a more mature and, frankly, human-esque look.

Ika rubs her cheek and says "I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing this beauty ever time I come home."

Amber giggles, then says "Save it for the bedroom hon." Ika blushes slightly, then nods.

His expression turns to confusion as he says "So, why did you ask me to come here?"

Amber just leans on the railing, looking at the city. "Oh, no reason. I just thought it'd be nice to be alone for a little bit while Ashlyn is still battling out her turf wars." Ika nods. Despite Ashlyn's lazy nature, she still did turf wars. Loved them, in fact.

Ika goes over to the railing as well, putting an arm on Amber's back. Rubbing it across her back subconsciously, he says "The night is beautiful this time of year, isn't it?"

Amber nods in agreement. "It is."

She suddenly looks downwards, her eyebrows furrowed. Ika looks at her in confusion, and also worry, and says "What's wrong?"

Amber taps her finger on the railing, then says "Do you think… someone like Octavius could come again?"

Ika tilts his head, then says "What makes you say that?"

Amber shrugs, replying "I don't know. I guess… I'm just worried. Worried if Ashlyn could ever be in danger."

Ika looks at her for a bit, then says "I can't lie. I'm certain there will be others like Octavius. The thing is, we'll be there to protect Ashlyn. She'll also have all the other agents backing her up. We have no need to worry."

Amber smiles slightly, then says "You always did those hero speeches so well."

Ika chuckles, pulling Amber closer. "I try." He brushes the large tentacle over Amber's face away from her eye. "Did it help though?"

Amber nods, closing her eyes and resting against Ika's chest. "It did. I can always count on you to protect us."

Ika smiles and nods. "And we will protect Ashlyn. As long as we are here, Ashlyn will be safe."

Amber nods, her eyes closed peacefully. Ika smiles, then looks at the night sky. It was beautiful, much more visible this high up. He sighs, tilting his head onto Amber's. "_As long as we are here, Inkopolis will be safe."_

**-Author Notes-**

**This is the final chapter of this story. And, I really have to thank my friends for helping me get this done. Some of it was tough, but it worked out in the end. I hope you all enjoyed Splatoon: Squidbeak Style!**


	69. Big Update

**-Author Notes-**

**Alright, I have decided. This story needs a rework. The plotline is too jumbled up and the characters are underdeveloped. I need to some serious overhaul for this. As such, the story is going to be remade. I probably won't post anything until it is done, but keep an eye out! A better storyline may come along.**

**For those of you who actually managed to get past the whole story and to this point, thank you. It really meant a lot that others enjoyed this, despite the confusing storyline. Thanks for pushing through it and making it to the end.**

**Also, there may or may not be a sequel after the story is remade. It already has a storyline of its own in the works (Better than this one), but it won't happen for a while.**

**Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy your day.**


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